New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS): On a quiet night in Ahmedabad on January 12, in the middle of India A’s two-day tour match against England Lions, Dhruv Jurel was given a call-up to the Test team for the upcoming series against England, starting in Hyderabad on January 25.
At first he couldn’t believe it, so as his father. "I was shocked! I was with the India A team, we were playing against the England Lions in a 2-day match. The news broke late in the night and when I found out, I immediately called my father to tell him.
"And his first question was, "Which Indian team? Aren’t you already playing for one of them?'. I said, 'The same one in which Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play'. He couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it too!” recalled Jurel to the Rajasthan Royals official website.
He would also get messages from the Royals, his IPL franchise. "Yes, I spoke to Zubin Bharucha (Director of High Performance) sir, got messages from Kumar Sangakkara (Director of Cricket) sir, Siddhartha Lahiri (Support Coach & Head of Coaching, RR Academy) sir, Giles Lindsay (Director of Analytics & Technology), Dishant Yagnik (Fielding Coach) sir.
"They were all very happy for me. Zubin sir has always backed me and I remember him telling me sometime back that my time was coming soon. I also got a text from Jos (Buttler) bhai, he said ‘Good to see you in the Indian team, long way to go’."
At the sidelines of SA20, Sangakkara appreciated Jurel’s work ethic and demeanour, after the news of Test call-up came in. "I read it and honestly, I am just grateful to him and the Rajasthan Royals. All the credit goes to the coaches, support staff, my teammates and the whole franchise. It’s because of them that I’ve been able to come this far in my cricketing journey.
"They picked me from scratch, I was nowhere near getting into the senior Indian squad. The kind of support I’ve gotten from them has helped me gain that much-needed confidence. Even in the season when I played, Sanju (Samson) bhai told me to express myself freely without worrying about anything."
Jurel, who represents Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket, had scored a half-century for India A in a four-day first-class fixture against South Africa A in Benoni and got a 50 in the practice game against England Lions. He has played 15 first-class games, amassing 790 runs and averages 46.37.
“The most important learning that I’d want to take away from this series is how to develop the mental fortitude that is needed to survive at the highest level. A lot of players get call-ups, but only a few are able to sustain themselves.
"Once you’re in the public eye on a much bigger stage, you are constantly judged on your performances. So I really want to know how these players deal with bad days, how they face criticism and pressure. I am going to try and absorb it all,” he added.
Jurel was vice-captain of the India U19 team at the World Cup in 2020. "As part of India U19, I gained massive exposure playing in foreign conditions and different types of pitches. Then with the Royals, I had a good first IPL season. And that was all white-ball cricket.
"But then came the longer format, and that’s a different ball game altogether. It took me a while to adapt myself to the demands of red-ball cricket. But with so much practice, training and early experience, I am confident that I can play all three formats equally well," he stated.
In IPL 2023, Jurel shined as a finisher for Rajasthan Royals, scoring 152 runs at an average of 22 and strike rate of 173. “There are quite a few off-season camps conducted by the franchise especially to support us not just before the IPL, but throughout the year so that we can go out and perform to the best of our abilities in every tournament we play.”
"It has been very helpful for me, especially having Zubin Sir in the nets, constantly guiding me on things that I can improve. My biggest takeaway from every camp has been that there’s always more to achieve, being in a highly competitive setup like that of the Royals. There are times I’ve spent 7-8 hours at a stretch working on a specific skill set in the nets. It helps me stay focused and be well-prepared whenever an opportunity comes knocking," he said.
In the Test team, Jurel reunites with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who have been together at the India U19 and IPL teams. "Yashasvi and I go a long way back. We played together in our U19 days and it has always been a lot of fun. I am looking forward to sharing this experience with him too. He was one of the first ones to text me and congratulate, saying 'Well-deserved bhai, very happy for you'."
Jurel doesn’t want to let go of his mantra of being stubborn to the core, which has accelerated his growth as a cricketer. "I think it’s being stubborn no matter how many obstacles you face. As a kid, I was always stubborn about wanting to play cricket. Studies were important but deep down I knew I wanted to pursue the sport. It took a while to convince my parents, but then my father stepped up to help me.
"I studied in an Army school and during winters, the days would be even shorter in the north. So instead of going home after school and changing into my cricket clothes, my father would bring the clothes to the school and I would change them in the washroom, then rush to the academy to play, and finally be back home by night. That way, I would get two extra hours to practise and they used to be extremely helpful for me."
"Despite facing financial constraints and my stubbornness, my family always supported me and I’m eternally grateful for that. My father would stitch up torn batting gloves, get a hanging ball in the room for me to keep hitting, my mother would soak almonds for me so that I’d get all the energy I needed. Everyone in my family is a cricket fan so they got behind me whole-heartedly, even if it took some time and convincing."
Speaking about what he wants in 2024, Jurel said: "Getting better every day. I have benefited a lot from this. I don’t believe in setting too many expectations for myself, I just want to focus on things I can do better. When I started playing, I only wanted to enjoy my cricket so I would like to continue doing the same."