In one corner of his home in Agra, Dhruv Jurel has put up a wall-mounted glass cabinet to keep his trophies and medals. Each of those shiny trinkets boasts of milestones achieved in his cricketing journey and has a story to tell.
But none of them would have existed today had it not been for a sacrifice his mother made years ago. Selling her own jewellery to afford a cricket kit, it was his mother who gave Jurel a chance to pursue his dreams.
Growing up in a family of faujis, Jurel was expected to follow the footsteps of his father, Nem Singh Jurel—a Kargil war veteran—and join the National Defence Academy.
Jurel, though, 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 the game of cricket.
He knew that it would be difficult to convince his father, so he kept it a secret from his family, making himself available for local tournaments. But his dad eventually found out.
An avid newspaper reader, Nem Singh came across the name of his son in the sports page, and asked Jurel if it was indeed him, who had scored some big runs in a local tournament.
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Caught unawares, Jurel softly replied that it was him and that he was playing cricket for a while at a local academy, without informing the family. Quite expectedly, his father was furious, but Jurel knew he couldn’t afford to leave the game.
Jurel eventually broke the impasse after a couple of days when he found the courage to tell his father that he wanted to pursue cricket as a career. It took some convincing but Nem Singh did come round.
On Friday, against the West Indies, as he scored his maiden Test century in his sixth outing, Jurel dedicated the fifty to his father and his hundred to the Indian Army.
“The salute (celebration) after reaching my fifty was for my father, but for the hundred… it was something that I had in my mind for a very long time because I have been so close to the Indian Army. I’ve seen my father since I was a child… What we do on the ground and what they do on the battlefield is very difficult, and you cannot compare that,” Jurel said.
“They [Indian Army] will always have my respect, and whatever I will do in the future will be for them. I would like to dedicate this to them. I have seen them closely and I remain very fascinated,” he continued.
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Despite making the Indian Test team last year, Jurel had to wait for his chance as Pant has been the preferred choice behind the stumps. But during the England tour, a couple of months ago, he proved his mettle as he stepped up on the field, in place of the injured Pant. Those experiences were a huge lesson for him.
“It’s about the huge privilege. Even if you are not getting the chance, you are with the squad. How many get to be with the squad and play Test cricket? I am glad I am with the squad, and even if I am not playing the match, I keep working hard. I know one day I will get an opportunity and I have to be 100 per cent ready to be able to deliver,” Jurel, fan of the late basketball legend Kobe Bryant, said.
Visualisation has become an integral part of Jurel’s training. “I do a lot of visualisation whether I am playing or not, so when I play a match, it doesn’t feel like anything new. I know I’ve gone through this and what the feeling is like. I visualise everything, from walking in [to the middle] to taking a stance,” he said.
During his stint with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Jurel had long interactions with England legend Joe Root, and even during the England tour, he picked his brains. “I met him [even] during the England tour. I have known him since he came to RR. Whenever I feel there is something, I go to him and ask what I can do with my batting, and he gives simple answers as to how I can play and tackle situations. He says it is difficult to remain consistent but you have to keep doing the same things everyday and you will get the results,” Jurel said.
Published on Oct 03, 2025
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