In Dhoni's home turf, India unearth a Jurel

It was fleeting, but Dhruv Jurel saluting quietly in the backdrop of the MS Dhoni Pavilion could never have gone unnoticed.

- Somshuvra Laha

That salute was not only an homage to a father - a Kargil War veteran and his sacrifices but also an acknowledgment of what he had just established. At Dhoni's backyard Jurel produced a knock that Dhoni would have been proud of, an innings that exuded Dhoni-like calm, with Dhoni-like assertiveness and poise that had salvaged many unsalvageable innings in the past. He wanted to meet Dhoni during this Test, but now he has a fonder memory to carry back home.

Ten runs may have denied Jurel his first Test hundred this time but it will come soon no doubt. Until then, allow yourself to be excited by the range of his six-hitting in this innings as he cut Shoaib Bashir to size.

Allow yourself to believe that India may finally have found a wicketkeeper with the game awareness of a battle-hardened strategist, someone who brings to the cause the earnestness to calmly go about business. Here is a compact and lionhearted batter with a grasp of the game that can be explored and honed in ways India have been meaning to for some time now.

Since Dhoni, India haven't been able to put a finger on what exactly they need from their wicketkeepers in Tests, largely because of the bar Dhoni had set in the first place.