The 'nervous nineties' have tested the patience of the greatest batters in cricket history, and India's Dhruv Jurel experienced that tension firsthand
during the second Test against Sri Lanka at the SSC Ground in Colombo.
Before registering his second Test century, the 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batter was made to wait on the verge of the milestone, spending 13 deliveries on 99 before finally nudging a single to bring up three figures.
Jurel's calculated approach under pressure not only helped India post a mammoth first-innings total of 503 for 9 declared, but it also placed him in a unique club alongside some of Indian cricket's biggest names.
Walking in at number eight with India looking to bat the opposition out of the contest, Jurel produced a composed knock, remaining unbeaten on 115 off 171 balls. However, the journey from 99 to 100 proved to be a real test of discipline.
With Sri Lanka setting defensive fields and bowling tight lines outside off-stump, Jurel refused to take unwarranted risks. He defended solidly, left deliveries outside the corridor of uncertainty, and waited 13 balls before securing the single that brought up his hundred.
Most Balls Taken from 99 to 100 by an Indian in Tests (Since 2007)
Dhruv Jurel's 13-ball stay on 99 is the third-longest by an Indian batter in Test cricket since 2007. It has also put Jurel along with VVS Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar in a unique list of Indian players taking most deliveries to get to a century from 99. Both India legends took 12 deliveries to move from 99 to 100 during the fiery 2008 home series against Australia; Laxman achieving the mark at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, and Tendulkar doing so at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur.
The list is topped by veteran all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin, who took 15 deliveries to move from 99 to 100 against the West Indies at Gros Islet in 2016. Former Test opener Murali Vijay sits second, having consumed 14 balls on 99 during his gritty hundred against England at Trent Bridge in 2014.
Most balls taken from 99 to 100
15 - Ravichandran Ashwin vs WI (Gros Islet, 2016)
14 - Murali Vijay vs ENG (Trent Bridge, 2014)
13 - Dhruv Jurel vs SL (Colombo SSC, 2026)
12 - VVS Laxman vs AUS (Delhi, 2008)
12 - Sachin Tendulkar vs AUS (Nagpur, 2008)
(Stats Credit: Cricbuzz)
