Dhruv Jurel, the soldier’s son, fulfills his father’s request with a salute

NEW DELHI: On the third day of the Ranchi Test against England on Sunday, a defiant Dhruv Jurel lifted his team out of difficult situations and put them in a strong position. The young player received accolades from all directions.
The 23-year-old showed incredible resolve and patience as renowned Sunil Gavaskar discovered the “next MS Dhoni” in him, scoring a stunning 90 in only his second Test.

Having reached his first international half-century, Jurel, who is hardly a product of some very fertile youth system, dismissed the lack of excitement with a tidy knock in only his second Test and a toast to his father, a veteran of the Kargil conflict.
It was the son of a soldier fulfilling his father’s goal, saving his side from certain defeat against a strong England side and encouraging the lower-order batters with an unshakeable determination to be successful among the best in the game.
It was intended for my dad. He served in the Kargil conflict. He obliquely stated, “Son, at least show me a salute,” when I talked to him yesterday. I have spent my whole childhood doing just that. At the conclusion of his most memorable day in the sport thus far, Jurel commented, “It was for him.”

Nem Chand, his father, was in the military as a former Havildar and participated in the Kargil conflict in 1999 before deciding to retire on his own will.
When Jurel onto the field, India was struggling at 161 for five. He started by finding a capable ally in Kuldeep Yadav (28), using the left-arm wrist spinner to contribute 76 runs for the eight wickets.

Then, in yet another valiant partnership with debutant Akash Deep, Jurel stitched 40 runs for the ninth wicket—quite an accomplishment considering that this was just his second Test match.
“There will undoubtedly be some pressure since this is my first Test series. But as soon as I was in, all I could think about was what the team required from me. During his post-third-day media encounter, Jurel said, “The longer I stay here and make runs, the better for me.”

He said, “We both come from UP, we have good understanding, played a lot of domestic cricket together, and we kept talking with each other and it helped in our partnership.” in reference to his partnership with Kuldeep.
“Next, MS Dhoni”
The effect that the new wicketkeeper-batter made with the bat and the large gloves led the great Sunil Gavaskar to compare him to Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
“He’s the next MS Dhoni waiting to happen,” said Gavaskar on television.
Jurel was obviously pretty pleased with the parallels to a guy of Dhoni’s caliber.
Naturally, it makes me feel good to hear a legend like Sunil Gavaskar speak well of me.

There were no clear directions other than to go outside and play, and the atmosphere was fantastic. Play while keeping an eye on the ball. Simply said, it gets better the longer I play.”
He claimed to have no remorse about losing out on what would have been a well-earned hundred.
“I don’t feel at all bad about not making the hundred. As this is my first Test series, I’m only itching to have this trophy in my hands. Playing in Test matches for India has always been a boyhood ambition.”

The audience erupted in applause as he exited, and even English cricket players, such as Joe Root of the Rajasthan Royals, hurried over to offer their congratulations.
“There was no specific plan, but it is important to show confidence and faith,” he remarked when asked about batting with tail-enders.I have to let them know that baseball is fun. We had it planned, and it turned out that way. Siraj and Akash Deep are both respectable batsmen who also bat in the IPL. It was essential, and I told them the same thing. They performed admirably.”

Jurel has all the strokes in his arsenal from his IPL experience, but he bats according to the circumstances.
Nobody is hostile by nature. You bat according to the circumstances. You can’t play conservatively in the midst of the IPL when you need to score 35–40 runs in 15 balls.
“You can’t swing your bat around here because it would be dangerous; I had to bat long.” I made an effort to dedicate as much time as I could to this wicket,” he said.
Work ethic is rewarded.

Before facing any bowler, Jurel said he likes to sketch out his strategy well in advance and that he believes in the “visualization and manifestation process.”
Prior to facing off James Anderson, Mark Wood, and Tom Hartley in his first series, he had done the same.
Although there is hard effort involved, I think in manifestation and visualization. I begin my preparation for each match or series one or two weeks in advance by looking at the bowling lineup, who will bowl, and how I will play them. It helps that I act out the circumstances.”I imagined that I could watch footage of bowlers like Anderson, Mark Wood, and Hartley to see where they bowl, where my zones are, and how to hit them.Since the wicket bounces low, it is evident that the runs were no longer coming from the wicket’s square. I felt compelled to play honestly.

“The ball was staying low, and I subconsciously reminded myself that I needed to be prepared and play straight. “I hit them straight with every shot I took,” he said.
In addition to being excellent at keeping, Jurel also amazed everyone with his high overhead takes and lightning-fast reactions behind the wickets, which brought to mind the legendary Dhoni.

Especially impressive was Jurel’s catch to remove England number 11 Anderson, who attempted a reverse flick on Ravichandran Ashwin.
“They bowl at a very high level; their techniques are unique and a touch rough. He concluded, saying, “I love challenges; whatever they are, I take them on and do it.”
When 14-year-old Jurel had to go from his Agra home alone to knock on the doors of a cricket school in Noida, his father was grieving the death of his own father.
2014 saw Jurel’s father, Nem Chand, finally come to terms with his son’s desire to play cricket, but he was forced to remain at home as his adolescent son started the arduous trek.

Before taking Jurel under his wing, Noida’s most well-known cricket coach, Phool Chand, was surprised that the youngster didn’t have a guardian at the academy where he had arrived.