Dhruv Jurel: Born in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Dhruv wanted to play cricket since childhood, but his father Nem Singh wanted to see him serve the country. Dhruv’s father, who contributed to the Kargil war, was against his becoming a cricketer.
Dhruv Jurel is from Agra, UP
Dhruv Jurel, who came to bat at number seven in the ongoing fourth Test against England, scored 90 runs in India’s first innings. Earlier, he played a brilliant inning of 46 runs in the Rajkot Test. Dhruv created a stir in the cricket world with his performance.
The 23-year-old wicketkeeper batsman took the English bowlers to task by hitting six fours and four sixes in the Ranchi Test. According to media reports, the team management is very happy with Dhruv’s strong performance in the debut series. It is believed that he may be given a chance in the Dharamshala Test (7-11 March).
Started playing cricket without father’s wishes
It was not easy for Dhruv Jurel, who was born in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, to reach this position. The story of his struggle is inspiring for young players. The 22-year-old player’s father did not want him to become a cricketer. He wanted to dedicate his son to the service of the country like himself. Actually, Dhruv’s father Nem Singh was in the army, who took part in the Kargil war. Dhruv was born in 2001. From a young age, he wanted to become a cricketer, but he was afraid of his father.
While studying in Army School, he also started going to swimming camps, but he was more interested in cricket than swimming. Dhruv used to play cricket when swimming classes were held in school. He liked cricket so much that he changed his name from swimming to cricket. When his father came to know about this, he became very angry, but later agreed. When Dhruv wanted a bat, his father took a loan of Rs 800 from his friends to get the bat.
The team won the Under-19 Asia Cup
Dhruv has played Under-14 and Under-16 age group cricket for Uttar Pradesh. He was then selected for India’s under-19 team for the World Cup in 2020. From here Dhruv never looked back. He was also made the vice-captain of the country’s Under-19 team in 2020. His team lost to Bangladesh in the final of the Under-19 World Cup, but Dhruv won the Under-19 Asia Cup under his captaincy. In the beginning of his career, Dhruv used to bowl off spin, but his bowling was nothing special. In such a situation, he tried his hand at wicket-keeping and impressed everyone in this role. Along with this, apart from being a middle-order batsman, he also became a wicketkeeper.
Dhruv Jurel came into discussion in IPL 2023
Dhruv made his Ranji Trophy debut for Uttar Pradesh against Vidarbha in 2022 and so far he has played 15 first-class matches, scoring 790 runs, including one century and five half-centuries. His best score is 249 runs. Dhruv has also played 10 List-A and 23 T-20 matches. He was included in their team by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Rs 20 lakh in the IPL 2022 mega auction.
However, he got his first chance in IPL 2023. Dhruv made his IPL debut as an impact player on 5 April 2023 against Punjab Kings in Guwahati. In his very first match, he played a quick inning of 32 runs in 15 balls. Since then he came into limelight. Dhruv has played 13 IPL matches so far, scoring 152 runs at a strike rate of 172.72 and Rajasthan has retained this explosive wicketkeeper batsman for IPL 2024.
It is a big deal to join the Indian team
Due to his good performance in first-class cricket, Dhruv also got a place in the India A team. He was a part of the India-A team that recently went on the South Africa tour. Dhruv scored 69 runs in one of the four-day matches and also took three catches. After this the selectors decided to give this young player a chance in the home series against England. He may not be the team management’s first choice as wicketkeeper in the first two Tests, but the experience of being in the senior Indian men’s dressing room will be very important for the Agra-born right-handed batsman. Dhruv, a fan of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, hopes that he will follow in the footsteps of his idol and become a successful cricket player like this legendary cricketer from Ranchi.
Dhoni is Considered an ideal
Dhruv also wants to captain the Indian team like Dhoni. He has expertise in trapping the opposition batsmen behind the wicket with patience and cleverness. At the same time, he considers AB de Villiers as his idol in batting. Jurel is an admirer of Virat Kohli in terms of fitness. After showing his talent in the IPL this year, he now has a chance to show his talent to the country as well. Under the tutelage of legendary batsmen like Rohit and Virat, 22-year-old Dhruv still has a lot of time to hone his talent.
