Dhruv Jurel finds his way among the big boys after dream India call up

Listen to Story Dhruv Jurel’s selection for the Indian team for the Test series against England wasn’t something that could have been predicted. However, on Friday night, Jurel got the pleasant surprise after being picked to play the first two Tests against the Three Lions. Soon after, Jurel with his fans.

In an Instagram post, Jurel wrote, “Having the tears of joy and happiness.” India picked three wicketkeepers, one of whom was Jurel, along with KL Rahul and KS Bharat. Although there are remote chances of Jurel getting his maiden cap, being a part of the Indian dressing room should do his confidence a world of good.

Back in 2020, at 18 year old Jurel first made his first appearance at a big level while representing India in the U19 World Cup in South Africa. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravi Bishnoi and Kartik Tyagi hogged the limelight for the Boys in Blue and Jurel was not amongst their top players in the tournament. However, Jurel did make a mark with a knock of 52 off 48 balls with three fours and one six against Sri Lanka, contributing to India’s win by 90 runs.

But apart that, he did not get enough chances to play more impactful knocks. It took Jurel two more years to make his first class debut for Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. In his maiden first class season, he scored 158 runs from seven innings with two half centuries, giving a glimpse of what’s to come.

December 2022 was a major year in Jurel’s career. He opened the batting for UP and scored 249 runs off 329 balls against Nagaland at the Nagaland Cricket Stadium in Sovima. In six matches that season, Jurel racked up 429 runs at an average of 71.50, finishing as the second highest run scorer for UP after new sensation Rinku Singh.

In 15 first class matches, Jurel has scored 790 runs at an average of 46.47 with one century and five half centuries to his name. Jurel also scored 69 in one of India’s A match against South Africa A in Benoni. He was also a part of the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy match against Saurashtra in 2023, although it was Bharat who got a chance ahead of him.

Jurel got a massive break when the Rajasthan Royals (RR) picked him to play in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). RR secured the services of the 22 year old wicketkeeper after buying him at his base price of INR 20 lakhs. With Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson in the team, Jurel did not get a chance in his maiden season for the Royals.

In 2023, the opportunity did come when he made his debut against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Jurel did not show any signs of nervousness whatsoever as he raced off to an unbeaten 32 off 15 balls. His knock, laced with three fours and two sixes, could not take the Royals home, but made him a regular part of the Royals’ XI that season.

In 13 matches in IPL 2023, Jurel scored 152 runs at an average of 21.71 and a strike rate of 172.73 with a top score of 34 not out. After playing for India U19, Rest of India, Rajasthan Royals and Uttar Pradesh, Dhruv Jurel took the big leap after being selected for the Indian national team. Whether or not he makes use of the opportunities remains to be seen..