India's latest Test recruit is the 22-year-old Dhruv Jurel, who has been picked as a backup wicketkeeper for the first two England Tests ahead of Ishan Kishan. Here is all you need to know about the man from Agra, whose father wanted him to join the Army
Among the 16 players selected for the first two Tests against England in the upcoming home series, was the name of one Dhruv Jurel. The name was possibly new for many, but for those involved in the Indian domestic and Under-19 cricket circuit, the selection was not entirely a surprise. (More Cricket News)
The soon-to-turn-23 Dhruv has been in fine nick of late, scoring a half-century for India A against South Africa A in Benoni and then producing a 63-run knock for Uttar Pradesh in their Ranji Trophy 2024 opener against Kerala.
The young wicketkeeper-batter is currently representing India A in a two-day tour game against England Lions, in the lead-up to a three-match series of unofficial, four-day Tests between the two teams. Jurel has a solid first-class average of 46.47 and has been picked as a backup keeper in the Indian team, ahead of Ishan Kishan.
Before he began playing first-class cricket, Dhruv had already donned India colours for the under-19 team. He led India to the U-19 Asia Cup title in 2019 and was the national team’s vice-captain in the 2020 U-19 World Cup. The 22-year-old from Agra made his first-class debut in 2022, playing for Uttar Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy match against Vidarbha.
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His father, Nem Singh Jurel, is a Kargil war veteran. Dhruv was not even born when his father was sent to Kargil in 1999. According to a Times of India report, Jurel Senior wanted his son to join the National Defence Academy and become an Army officer. But the boy had already fallen head over heels for cricket by then.
Dhruv has played 15 first-class matches so far, in which he has aggregated 790 runs, including one ton and five half-centuries, with a best score of 249. He has also played 10 List A and 23 T20s games.
Rajasthan Royals bought Dhruv in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League for his base price of INR 20 lakh. The youngster made his IPL debut in 2023, and has played 13 matches for the Royals, scoring 152 runs at a strike rate of 172.72. RR have retained him for IPL 2024 as well.