‘It Took Him 15 Years to be MS Dhoni, He’s in Different League’: Ganguly Says ‘Let Jurel Play’

Young wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel has now become a household name since the conclusion of the Ranchi Test. India were trembling in the first innings when his resilient 90-run innings avoided a major setback. Later, he showcased a phenomenal example of teamwork, pairing up with Shubman Gill to take India through in the chase of 192.

Jurel’s substantial contribution in India’s series-clinching win has earned him massive praise from experts, such that people seem to be visualising a hidden MS Dhoni in him. After the 23-year-old won the Player of the Match Award in Ranchi, former India captain and spin legend Anil Kumble said Jurel got the standards of Dhoni.

But former India captain Sourav Ganguly had a different opinion than his teammate Kumble. Speaking with RevSports, Ganguly said it took Dhoni 15 years to become what he is now. But for Jurel, it’s the beginning of his career.

“Obviously, Jurel has talent but Dhoni is in a different league. It took him 15 years to be MS Dhoni. So let him [Jurel] play,” Ganguly said.

“His ability. His ability to play spin, to bat against the pace. And most importantly, to perform under pressure. That’s what you look at, a youngster. And he’s got that temperament,” Ganguly added.

Ishan Kishan Should Be Careful

While heaping praise on Jurel, Ganguly issued an alert for Ishan Kishan who has been away from the scene due to unknown reasons. The Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter pulled out of the South Africa Tests and has been ‘unavailable’ to play for India since then. He also skipped the ongoing Ranji Trophy but was reportedly training with his Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya in Baroda before returning to the field at the DY Patil T20 Cup in Mumbai.

Ganguly emphasised that domestic cricket and the IPL are the platforms that give youngsters a platform to flourish and warned Kishan to be careful as there are too many great talents in the fray.

“I think Ranji Trophy and IPL are the formats for youngsters to become so good. Dhruv Jurel, what a Test match he had under pressure on a difficult wicket. As I said, there is huge talent and if you miss out and if you go behind down the ladder, it’ll be very hard to come back. And something which someone like Ishan Kishan should be very careful of because he’s young, he wants to play and there’s so much talent in this country,” Ganguly added.