KANPUR, Oct. 4 -- Team India's young keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel on Friday became the third cricketer from Uttar Pradesh to score a century in the 92-year-old history of Test cricket in India. While playing just his sixth Test, Jurel struck 210-ball 125 with the help of 15 boundaries and three sixes against the West Indies as India finished the Day One at 448/5 at Ahmedabad. Jurel celebrated his 100-run milestone in the army style and it was a tribute to the Indian Army and his father, who is a Kargil war veteran. "The salute (celebration) after reaching my fifty was for my father, but for the hundred, it was something that I had in my mind for a very long time because I have been so close to the Indian Army. I've seen my father since my childhood," Jurel said after the match. "What we do on the ground and what they do on the battlefield is very difficult and you cannot compare that. I will always have my respect and whatever I will do in future will be for them," he said, adding, "I will like to dedicate this to them (Indian Army). I have seen them closely and I remain very fascinated by those things." Before Agra's Jurel, seven other cricketers from Uttar Pradesh have played for Team India in Test cricket and only Mohd Kaif (2000) and Suresh Raina (2010) struck centuries. Prayagraj's Kaif scored an unbeaten 148 as his best in 13 Tests besides hitting three half centuries, Raina's best was 120 in as many as 18 Tests with seven half centuries. In fact, Kanpur's Gopal Sharma (1985) was the first one from Uttar Pradesh to play in Test cricket, and he could play just five Tests with 11 being his best, but his 10 wickets as an off-spinner came at an average of 3.66. Four other bowlers Piyush Chawla (2006) had seven wickets in three Tests at 3.29, RP Singh (2006) bagged 40 wickets in 14 tests at 2.59, Praveen Kumar (2011) claimed 27 wickets in six Tests at 2.59, but so far the most successful has been Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2013), who finished with 63 wickets in 21 Tests at 2.94. "It's a great achievement for Jurel as well for Uttar Pradesh cricket and we all are proud of him. He has been quite good in his wicket-keeping as well as has already proved his worth even at the recent tour of England," said Suresh Raina on Friday. "I saw his innings today and it was quite impactful and it's good that after a long time now we have a perfect keeper as well as batter for Team India,' Raina added. It was also the day of achievement for Students Cricket Academy in Agra where Jurel learnt the basics of the game. "It's a very big day for me as I was expecting this to come soon. Great century by Jurel and it's just a beginning for him and I see him as a future captain of Team India," Jurel's childhood coach Parvendra Yadav said. Jurel, 24, learnt the basics from Yadav for almost nine years from 2009-2018 after joining the SCA, and even before leaving for Ahmedabad, he visited his coach's place to see his ailing father. "He came to my house to see my ailing father and the best thing about him is that he is a down to earth individual and stays cool even while scoring runs," he added. In fact, Jurel's journey in cricket is a story of passion, perseverance and emerging talent that has captivated many young cricket enthusiasts. He showed an early inclination towards cricket, dedicating countless hours to mastering his skills. "His journey is a blend of dedication, hard work, and seizing opportunities that have shaped him into a promising wicketkeeper-batsman. Jurel's natural ability behind the stumps and his composed batting style soon started attracting attention even when he began playing cricket at the age of just nine," said the coach. "His agility in wicketkeeping and fearless approach to batting, often playing match-winning innings in under-19 and domestic cricket matches, have been the hallmark of his ability. His performances at the junior level became the foundation of his growing reputation," he added....