Dhruv Jurel, the Rajasthan Royals batter who made heads turn in the IPL this year, is now making rapid strides. He was recently named in the India A squad for the Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 50-overs tournament, which will be held in Sri Lanka from July 14 to 23. Jurel is no stranger to success, having amassed big runs during Uttar Pradesh’s title-winning run in the 2018-19 Cooch Behar Trophy and led India Under-19 to victory at the 2019 Asia Cup.
But this time, it feels a bit different. As Jurel sits down for an interview at his residence in Agra, one instantly notices the bevy of trophies and medals glinting from the wall-mounted glass cabinet behind him.
Each of these shiny trinkets boasts milestones achieved in a still-very-nascent career. But none would have existed had it not been for his mother’s sacrifice. Selling her own jewellery to afford a cricket kit for Jurel, his mother gave wings to his dreams.
Growing up in a family of faujis, Jurel was expected to follow in his father’s footsteps, Nem Singh Jurel, a Kargil war veteran, and join the National Defence Academy.
Guarding against complacency: Even as he enjoys all the attention after a memorable IPL season, Jurel knows his journey has just started. | Photo Credit: PTI
But Jurel had different plans. After moving to Agra in 2008 following his father’s heart attack, he pursued swimming as a hobby but eventually fell in love with cricket. He made himself available for local tournaments but knew it would be difficult to convince his father, so he kept it a secret. “But my dad eventually found out,” Jurel tells Sportstar with a smile.
“He habitually reads the newspaper. So, while turning the pages one day, he noticed there was a mention of some young cricketer named Dhruv Jurel, who had scored some big runs in a local tournament. So, he called me from the other room to ask if I knew this guy.”
Caught unawares, Jurel told his father that it was him and that he had been playing cricket for a while at a local academy without informing the family. His father was furious, but Jurel couldn’t afford to leave the game.
An impasse continued for a couple of days before Jurel finally mustered the courage to tell his father that he wanted to pursue cricket as a career. “I locked myself up in the toilet and told him that if he did not allow me to pursue cricket, I would run away and never return,” Jurel says.
The ‘threat’ had little impact on his father, but his mother sold off her gold chain to arrange money for the kits. “Back then, I did not understand the importance of her sacrifice, but now I know what she did for me,” he says. After he made it to the Rajasthan Royals squad in 2022, Jurel brought a gold chain for his mother. “I would not have come so far without her sacrifice,” he says.
When he finally got to feature in the playing XI of the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023, his parents watched him play in Jaipur and could not hold back their tears of joy. “My parents, especially my father, were really happy to see me donning the Royals colours. They watched one of the games in Jaipur.”
After warming the bench last season, Jurel made the most of the Impact Player rule this year to emerge as a finisher for the Rajasthan Royals, scoring 152 runs at a strike rate north of 170. “When you play in the IPL, you don’t get a chance easily because all the sides have a set team. The rule of having an additional player gives you a certain amount of opportunity,” he said.
Since the rule was already in place during the domestic T20 tournament, Jurel had a fair idea about how it worked. “When I was playing for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic season, I knew this rule would be there in the IPL, and I prepared accordingly. During the off-season, I was in constant touch with Zubin (Bharucha) sir and Sanga (Kumar Sangakkara), and they told me clearly about the Impact Player rule,” he says. “I batted daily for six to seven hours for that role. When I got a chance, I took it one ball at a time. I had prepared so much at the nets that I knew I could do it.”
Batting lower down the order, Dhruv came up with an unbeaten 34 off 16 balls against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and a 34 off 15 against the Chennai Super Kings. And, by his own admission, the ample preparation time made things easy for him.
Idolising Kobe: Dhruv Jurel looks up to NBA great, late Kobe Bryant and his Mamba mentality - an ability to strike repeatedly in the face of adversity when others could not. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Jurel is a big fan of the NBA and the late Kobe Bryant. “If I have a bad day, I go back and watch them play. The way these legends have dominated the NBA, no one can ever surpass them. I keep pushing myself, saying it was just one bad day and I will bounce back the next day,” he says. Much of Bryant’s appeal to aspiring athletes came from what he called “The Mamba Mentality”, which Bryant famously described as “if you see me in a fight with a bear, pray for the bear”.
Throughout his cricket career, this philosophy has worked wonders. It has made him mentally stronger and allowed him to be aggressive on the field. “Before I walk out to bat, I start visualising how I would approach the innings. I also look at the number of overs remaining and the required run rate, and accordingly, I decide how I can play my game. I keep things simple because if I complicate matters, it would only add to the pressure.” Ever since featuring in the 2020 U-19 World Cup, Jurel has considered Mahendra Singh Dhoni his inspiration, and he finally had the opportunity to meet him last year. “When I met him, I could not believe I was speaking to ‘The’ MS Dhoni. I was shocked. I asked him how, despite batting at No. 6 and No. 7, he had remained so consistent. He told me I should not think much; go out there, watch the ball, and play the A game. He also told me about having a Plan B,” Jurel says.
For now, Jurel is enjoying the role of a finisher. “I am loving this position because you get praise for all the hard work you put in. It is a tough job, but I am working hard to fit into the role perfectly and be more consistent,” he says.
When Jurel started playing, his coach, Parvendra Yadav, told him to guard against complacency. Even as he enjoys all the attention after a memorable IPL season, Jurel knows his journey has just started. With such cut-throat competition for an India call-up, one needs to keep raising the bar with their performance. And Jurel is ready for any challenge that comes his way!
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