By the time Dhruv Jurel finally got there, he had spent a long time waiting; 171 deliveries, to be precise. And when the moment arrived, it brought a little drama with it.

Jurel punched Asitha Fernando towards mid-off and set off for a single. The throw was coming in the general direction of the stumps. Had the fielder hit, Jurel would have been walking back on 99. Instead, he missed, punching the air before removing his helmet and soaking in the applause.

From the other end, Mohammed Siraj ran towards him and wrapped him in a big hug. Jurel’s shirt and trousers were covered in mud; he lifted his bat and then his sleeve to reveal the tattoo on his left bicep:“Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.”

This DJ’s got some crazy drops! 🎧💯

Second Test ton for Dhruv Jurel, with a little late drama for good measure! 😮‍💨

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 24, 2026

Jurel had to wait 13 balls to move from 99 to his second Test hundred, but the innings had been built over much longer. His unbeaten 115 off 177 balls took India to 503/9, putting them firmly in the driver’s seat against Sri Lanka in the second Test in Colombo, especially after the hosts were left tottering at 8/2 in the three overs they had to face at the fag end of the day.

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When Sarfaraz Khan was brought in as Sai Sudharsan’s injury replacement, there were murmurs about whether he should walk straight back into the middle order for his ability to play spin and use the sweep efficiently. Instead, the management backed the incumbent option in Jurel. He responded with 51 in Galle. In Colombo, he went several steps further.

Jurel’s innings on Monday had two distinct phases, differentiated by the presence and then the absence of Rishabh Pant. When Pant joined him, the pair gave India exactly what the team wanted: aggression without recklessness.

Jurel was the calmer half of the partnership, while Pant ensured the bowlers could never settle. The two wicketkeeper-batsmen went about their work in completely different ways. The former trusted his defence, played late and waited for the ball to come to him. The latter moved around the crease, swept, reverse-swept, stepped down the track and occasionally launched the ball into the stands.

It offered a lovely balance to the stand: A right-hander and a left-hander, two wicketkeepers and two different methods.

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Jurel was on 11 when Pant came out after Saransh Jain’s dismissal. Soon enough, the two turned a potentially awkward passage into a century partnership. Pant brought up his fifty from 82 balls, while Jurel reached his own half-century in 97 deliveries, pulling a Prabath Jayasuriya long-hop through midwicket.

R IN RISHABH STANDS FOR RISK. 🤯

First ball after lunch. Pant takes the risk, and pays the price. 🥲

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 24, 2026

Pant’s presence gave Jurel the chance to play his natural game. He did not have to force the pace. He could leave the wider deliveries, defend the good ones and cash in when Sri Lanka erred in length. He was playing the perfect foil to his more experienced partner.

Different facets

Then, just after lunch, the equation changed.

Pant danced down the track to Keshara Nuwantha and holed out at long-off on the first ball of the post-lunch session. He was gone for 63 off 89 balls, and his dismissal meant Jurel suddenly had to shoulder a different responsibility.

He kept the scoreboard ticking, first with Manav Suthar, before Siraj joined him. The pacer had recently shown a penchant for using the long handle, and it had come off on some occasions.

India had just crossed the 450-run mark. They were safe but needed more runs to feel fully secure. Jurel rallied Siraj, farming the strike for the most part and showing composure to frustrate the Sri Lankans. The heavens opened up when he was on 95, and it seemed like he would remain stranded there.

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The rain gods eventually relented, and after resumption, Jurel quickly moved to 99. He played a maiden against Jayasuriya while sitting on that score, refusing to manufacture a scoring opportunity simply because he was one run from a milestone.

When the hundred finally came, the shackles came off. Jurel cleared his front leg and smashed Asitha over deep square leg for six.

In an era increasingly obsessed with scoring rates, Jurel’s batting style offers an interesting throwback. His innings did not have a barrage of ramps, scoops or improvised strokes. It was built in orthodox fashion: straight drives, clipped singles, controlled pulls, firm punches and a willingness to defend when the ball demanded it.

The reaction says it all. 🫣

Nervous smiles all around as Dhruv Jurel waited on 99! 😬

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) August 24, 2026

Even as wickets fell at the other end, Jurel stayed long enough and ensured they did not lose control of the game. By the time he reached his hundred, Sri Lanka had spent most of two days in the field, and India were closing in on 500.

Jurel has shown in this series that he can absorb pressure without allowing it to consume him. In Galle, the 51 suggested he belonged. In Colombo, the unbeaten 115 has now given him something more valuable: time. After an innings built on patience, discipline and the occasional flourish, India have the upper hand. And Jurel has answered the question that followed him into the series.