Sri Lanka perhaps went to bed on Day 1 of the Colombo Test assuming they had already seen the last of Rishabh Pant for the first innings. The India wicketkeeper-batter suffered a stinging blow to his hand and was forced to retire hurt late on Sunday. Sri Lanka bowling coach Ryan van Niekerk, under the impression that Pant was only '50-50' to resume batting, felt his pacers could maximise the first hour on Monday with a ball that was only five overs old.

But 11 balls into the morning session, Pant strode out to join Dhruv Jurel. The odds of him sitting this innings out were infinitesimal — this is, after all, the same player who once limped down stairs to awe and applause at Old Trafford. For the rest of the morning session, the Colombo Test condensed into a singular contest: Sri Lanka vs Pant.

Yet while all the attention was lavished on Pant's daredevilry, Jurel quietly ticked away — almost unnoticed. The two are a dicey pair for any bowling attack to deal with. A Rishabh Pant innings typically comes at you with fanfare, anticipation and tease. A Dhruv Jurel innings simply sneaks up on you.

A specialist in a keeper's role

Jurel is the kind of luxury for India in Tests that has quietly turned essential: a second wicketkeeper who has batted his way into a specialist's spot. In this Colombo Test, he was one of only three Indian batters to face more than 100 deliveries, with a false-shot percentage of 8.4 bettered only by Shubman Gill's 6.2. His control percentage of 91.6 sits vastly above Pant's 84.3 — and even marginally ahead of Devdutt Padikkal's.

In the middle of a transition, India have been blessed with control at No. 6. Jurel brings an assuredness that perhaps belongs at a higher batting spot anywhere else in the world. At home, it allows India to stretch innings and bury visiting teams under a mountain of runs; in testing away conditions, it offers vital batting cushion.

'No visible weaknesses at all'

Former India batting coach Vikram Rathour, who was in his final assignment when Jurel made his way into the XI in February 2024, first saw his temperament on a Ranchi pitch that kept low, where the youngster made 90.

"He is almost a perfectionist," Rathour told Cricbuzz. "He has worked really hard on his technique and it's something unique nowadays. You don't get too many players with a technique that solid. Because the focus is on playing more shots. Or scoring runs in different areas. When you see him bat in the nets, you sometimes wonder how will this kid get out. There are no visible weaknesses at all."

Sri Lanka have endured the absence of that weakness twice in the last fortnight. In Galle, he scored a brisk half-century to build on Devdutt Padikkal's excellent hundred, and in Colombo, he played his part perfectly in a duet with Pant before leading the way to his second Test century.

Facing 101 balls of spin in the Test at a control percentage of nearly 90, Jurel was compact while the average degree of turn progressively increased through the sessions. Meanwhile, the quicks sent down just seven bouncers to him before abandoning the ploy, with Jurel taking 15 runs without offering a real chance of dismissal.

A perfectionist's mindset

Rathour offers a peek into the making of the kind of innings Jurel played in Colombo.

"He keeps batting in the nets," Rathour said. "He will look great in the nets and he will come out saying that 'no, this is not right'. And you are like, 'what else do you want'? Anybody else batting the way you are batting, he'd be on top of the world. But he comes out and still thinks that something is not sitting right. He'll ask 'Can I bat a little more? Can I go to the back and hit some bowlers or get into the nets and do some drills'? He wants to improve all the time."

Jurel's opportunities have been shaped by returns on shadow A tours. He scored runs in Australia in 2024 and in England in 2025, and made a vital 34 in the second innings of a memorable Test win at The Oval while Pant nursed an injury. By the time Pant returned in the home series against South Africa late last year, Jurel had forced India into a tactical detour.

India went from Pant or Jurel to Pant and Jurel — and are far richer for it.