Former India cricketer turned commentator Irfan Pathan said that Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) ₹14 crore star batter Dhruv Jurel silenced critics questioning his strike rate with a stunning knock in the IPL 2026 Eliminator against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Wednesday, May 27, in New Chandigarh as well. He smashed 50 off 21 deliveries, hitting five fours and three sixes as well.
Speaking on his YouTube channel (Irfan Pathan), he said, “After Vaibhav got out, it was very important for Rajasthan to maintain the momentum. In that situation, Dhruv Jurel’s brilliant knock of 50 off 21 balls was outstanding, extremely important, and crucial. Eventually, it proved to be so crucial because hardly any runs came in the last five overs. So if he had played slowly, RR would have landed in serious trouble.”
“And with that innings, Dhruv Jurel answered one major question. Before this, there was never any doubt about his batting ability. But people often questioned his ability to bat at a high strike rate, saying that he consumes too many deliveries and plays a bit slowly. Dhruv Jurel answered that question as well,” he added again.
“He played very well square of the wicket and used the pull shot brilliantly” – Irfan Pathan on Dhruv Jurel
Meanwhile, Irfan Pathan also applauded Dhruv Jurel for batting well square of the wicket and said that although he had looked uncomfortable earlier against deliveries outside off stump, he did well against SRH by playing late on the back foot.
“He played very well square of the wicket and used the pull shot brilliantly. Earlier, when bowlers targeted that channel outside off stump, he often looked uncomfortable. But this time, he didn’t. The reason was that he was more prepared to play late on the back foot, and that is why he found success,” he concluded.
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