Dhruv Jurel Breaks MS Dhoni's All-Time India Record In Sri Lanka

Dhruv Jurel breaks MS Dhoni's major batting record in Sri Lanka [Source: AFP]

In a remarkable achievement, Dhruv Jurel surpassed MS Dhoni on a rare list through a valiant knock in the second Test between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo. Coming at number 7, Jurel hammered 95 runs on day 2 of the Test match before rain played spoilsport at the Sinhalese Sports Club. 

After Devdutt Padikkal set the tone for a monumental total for the Indian team with a sensational hundred, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant struck crucial fifties, helping the tourists claim the driving seat. 

Although Asitha Fernando got rid of Ravindra Jadeja and Saransh Jain in quick succession, Dhruv Jurel steadied the ship with Pant, forming a valuable partnership of 112 runs for the seventh wicket. 

Dhruv Jurel goes past MS Dhoni, records highest score for India at no. 7 in Sri Lanka

While Pant was dismissed in the 113th over, Jurel eventually brought up his half-century and raced to 95* before the rain interruption. Thus, Dhruv Jurel broke an all-time Test record of MS Dhoni, registering the highest individual score for India in Sri Lanka while batting at number 7. 

Highest Test score by India's no. 7 in Sri Lanka

Legendary allrounder Mohinder Amarnath was the first Indian number 7 batter to score a Test fifty in Sri Lanka on the 1985 tour to the Island Nation. VVS Laxman achieved the landmark in the third Test of the 2008 tour at the P Sara Oval.  

Two years later, MS Dhoni went past Laxman and recorded the highest score by an Indian number 7 in Sri Lanka with a 76-run knock in 2010. 

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Despite scoring two fifties, former wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha couldn't eclipse Dhoni, as the legendary Indian captain held the record for 16 years. MS Dhoni played the 76-run knock at the Sinhalese Sports Club, and, coincidentally, Dhruv Jurel broke his record at the same venue 16 years later. 

Dhruv Jurel outperforms MS Dhoni on his first visit to Sri Lanka

(MS Dhoni vs Dhruv Jurel Test record in Sri Lanka)

Talking about overall numbers, Dhruv Jurel has convincingly outperformed MS Dhoni in Sri Lanka on his first tour. Dhoni played three Tests on Sri Lankan soil, amassing 132 runs at a modest average of 32. 

After Australia and England, Sri Lanka is the country where Dhoni registered a strike rate of less than 60. This highlights the challenges he faced at the Lankan venues despite being an aggressive batter. 

While Dhoni managed only 33 runs in 2 innings at the Galle International Stadium, Dhruv Jurel struck a match-winning fifty in his first Test at the venue. Overall, Jurel has already scored 153 runs in 3 innings with the help of two half-centuries at an average of 76.5. 

Furthermore, Jurel has registered a strike rate of 64.28, higher than Dhoni's 58.18 while playing an innings less than the Indian maestro.

Jurel on the brink of history after regaining his mojo in Sri Lanka

MS Dhoni had a torrid start to the Sri Lanka Tests in 2010, accumulating 37 runs in his first two innings. Coincidentally, Dhruv Jurel had a woeful start to the 2026 tour of Sri Lanka, as he could score only 24 runs, including the warm-up fixture. 

But it took him little time to regain his mojo, as Jurel smashed two consecutive fifty-plus scores in the Island Nation. As of rain interruption on day 2, Jurel is on the brink of history, needing only five runs to become India's first number 7 batter to slam a Test hundred on Sri Lankan soil. 

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