Dhruv Jurel celebrates test century vs SL with 'Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisaan' tattoo

India wicketkeeper batter Dhruv Jurel celebrated his century against Sri Lanka in the second Test by flaunting his bicep tattoo reading, ‘Jai Jawaan, Jai Kisaan’ (Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer). He reached the three-figure mark off 171 balls, putting India in a strong position in the match.

The phrase was coined by India’s former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri as a rallying cry in 1965. India was facing two major challenges at the time: the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War and national food shortages. Shastri first delivered the phrase during a public gathering at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.

His goal was to simultaneously boost the morale of soldiers defending the borders and empower farmers to increase agricultural output for food security. It now forms an important part of India’s history and identity.

Jurel’s father, Nem Chand, was a retired Havildar with the Indian armed forces and fought the Kargil war in 1999 before taking voluntary retirement. He has previously celebrated his batting milestones with army gestures like a salute — he also did it after reaching his fifty on Monday.

“It was for my father,” he said about his salute celebration against England in 2024. “He is a Kargil war veteran. Yesterday I spoke, and he indirectly said, ‘Son, at least show me a salute’. That is what I have been doing all my growing-up years. It was for him.”

Jurel became the second Indian batter to register a Test hundred from No.7 or lower in Sri Lanka, after Hardik Pandya in 2017.

India won the toss in Colombo and opted to bat first. The middle-order scored most of the runs, Devdutt Padikkal scoring yet another century and Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja putting up half-centuries each. Jurel came to bat when India were at 296-5 and remained unbeaten at 115 (177) as India declared the innings at 503/9.