"One wicket there and England would have won the match" - Aakash Chopra lauds Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel's partnership in 4th IND vs ENG Test

Aakash Chopra has lauded Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel for stitching together a match-winning partnership at a crunch moment in the fourth Test between India and England in Ranchi.

India were reduced to 120/5 in pursuit of a 192-run target on Monday, February 26. Gill (52* off 124) and Jurel (39* off 77) then added 72 runs to help the hosts register a five-wicket win and take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra praised Gill and Jurel for rising to the occasion at a crucial juncture. He explained (6:20):

"72 is a lot of runs. The game was absolutely hanging in the balance because one wicket there and England would have won the match. The match would have come towards India if there was a 40 to 45-run partnership."

The former India opener reckons Gill's knock would hold him in good stead for the future.

"Shubman Gill has played a lot of good cricket. Till the two sixes in the end, he didn't hit a single four. He was very good. Some knocks make you mature. You might not have scored a lot of runs in that knock but you do extremely well going forward. This was that knock from Shubman Gill," Chopra stated.

Chopra opined that Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal's performances imply that India's future is in safe hands. He elaborated:

"You know that I rate him very highly. However, after watching this knock, the respect for him grows in your eyes. India's future is secure. Yashasvi (Jaiswal) is there at the top and Shubman Gill is there alongside him. These are two quality Indian batters who are ready to fight."

Gill didn't hit a single boundary off the first 119 deliveries he faced. He smacked Shoaib Bashir for two sixes off three deliveries to reach his fifty when India needed 20 runs for a win.

---

"Dhruv Jurel shone like the Dhruv Tara" - Aakash Chopra

Dhruv Jurel struck just two fours during his second-innings knock.

Aakash Chopra pointed out that Dhruv Jurel first ensured India didn't have a huge first-innings deficit. He said (7:35):

"Dhruv Jurel was the Player of the Match. What a player. Dhruv Jurel shone like the Dhruv Tara (pole star). To be honest, how did you reach here? There was no way the lead would have been less than 100 but he made it 46. He scored 90 runs and batted extremely well."

The reputed commentator praised the wicketkeeper-batter for being calm under pressure.

"When he came in the second innings, again the same calmness. How can he be so calm? He is an army man's son. This is what is taught in the army. That's the quality you see in Dhruv. He plays with extremely soft hands and the way he moves his feet towards the ball, he is very good," Chopra noted.

Chopra concluded by stating that India might no longer necessarily need KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant as a wicketkeeper-batter in overseas conditions. He added that Jurel was absolutely sensational and sublime in the Ranchi Test.