The Indian Test cricket team seems to have unearthed an absolute gem of a player in the ongoing Test series against England — a hard-working, humble, but ultra talented wicketkeeper-batter from Uttar Pradesh who goes by the name Dhruv Jurel. He won the Player of the Match award for his heroics in the fourth Test against England at the JSCA International Complex Stadium in Ranchi, the hometown of his childhood idol MS Dhoni. Jurel took to social media to share a photo of his parents – father Nem Chand and mother Rajani – holding the POTM trophy.
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Dhruv Jurel dedicated the accolade to his parents, with a caption which read, “Real MVPs of my life”. It goes to show just how much the 23-year-old respects his parents and has nothing but gratitude to express for all the sacrifices they made in order to help him become a cricketer.
Nem Chand served as a Havaldar in the Indian Army and is a Kargil War veteran. Jurel Sr. wanted his son to take up the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam so that Dhruv could serve the country as a soldier, carrying forward the legacy. However, Nem Chand broke down with tears of happiness following Jurel’s debut. “Dhruv played in the IPL, he played for India A, and now he has been picked for the Indian team. It is a dream for us. We don’t know how to thank people and God. The other day, I spoke to Dhruv and told him to be more grounded than before,” he told The Indian Express.
His mother, Rajani, pawned her only piece of gold jewellery in order to afford a cricket kit for Dhruv Jurel. “I had to borrow 800 rupees then because we didn’t have money. He later wanted a kit bag but it was very expensive, some 6000 rupees. I said ‘mat khelo, itna paisa nahi hai (leave the game, I don’t have so much money).’ But he locked himself in the bathroom and his mother decided to pawn her only gold chain, which was how we managed to buy his first kit bag. Now, I laugh sometimes when I recall those moments but one thing was clear. He was ready to work hard,” Nem Chand recalled.
Dhruv Jurel first hogged the limelight with his sweet yet effective power-hitting cameos for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023. He also scored a double-century for UP in the Ranji Trophy, while also breaking into the India A side.
After being handed his international debut in the third Test in Rajkot, Dhruv Jurel, who came into the side at the expense of KS Bharat, scored a mature 46 in his debut innings, going past Bharat’s highest individual score in Tests.
The wicketkeeper-batter built on his debut and brought up his maiden half-century in Tests in what was a match-saving effort. India were 192 runs behind England’s first innings total in the fourth Test. The hosts lost two more quick wickets, but Jurel raised a brilliant 76-run stand with Kuldeep Yadav to bail India out of a tricky situation. Although he missed his century by just 10 runs, his innings ensured that England did not earn a hefty lead.
In the second innings, while chasing 192, India quickly went from 84-0 to 120-5. The visitors had the upper hand as well as the momentum on their side, but Dhruv Jurel stitched 72 runs with Shubman Gill to see India through. Of those 72 runs, Jurel scored 39 and remained unbeaten to earn the Player of the Match award.
He will be next seen in action in the fifth and final Test against England, which begins from March 7 and will be played at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
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