IND vs ENG: Who is Dhruv Jurel, wicket-keeper picked ahead of Ishan Kishan?

Dhruv Jurel burst onto the scene with a brilliant 34 against Chennai Super Kings for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. However, his fame came from his role as an impact player in Dharamsala where he led the Royals to a win over the Punjab Kings. Jurel, then 21, was now a name in the minds of the people as a finisher, something that India has been on the lookout for perennially. That was in May 2023. Cut to January 2024 and Jurel is named, not in India's T20 squad, but in the Test squad as his maiden call-up to the national side. 

 

Jurel's Test Call-Up Not a Surprise

Ruthless against the white ball, resilient against the red...  pic.twitter.com/UPUkyllQi1

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) December 29, 2023

Surprising as it might be to the non-followers of the game, Jurel has been in the selectors’ back of the mind as someone who could replicate Rishabh Pant’s style of play in the longest format. With Ishan Kishna out of favour because of his off-the-field activities, where he asked for a break in the middle of the South Africa tour and then made himself unavailable for selection, Jurel was the selector’s pick, but not just because of his attacking T20 game. 

Playing for Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy 2022-23, Jurel scored 429 runs in only four matches at an average of 71 and with a best score of 249 to his name, showing the ability to bat for a long time. It was a huge improvement from his 158 runs in five matches in the 2021-22 season of the Ranji Trophy. 
 

Jurel in Selectors' Minds

His Ranji performance put Jurel on the selectors' list of players to watch out for. He was given a go in the Duleep Trophy as well for Central Zone where he impressed again, scoring 46 against a challenging West Zone bowling, batting at three in the semi-final. He along with Rinku Singh was one of the only two players to go past 40 in that innings for the Central Zone. He was named in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup 2023 as well, but Srikar Bharat was preferred over him.

The batter from Agra also got a go in the Emerging Team Asia Cup but was not able to impress much in the limited outings. However, selectors kept faith in him despite him not getting a lot of runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023. Jurel on his part also did well in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to compensate for his mediocre outing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali. He scored 158 in five List A matches at an average of 79 before being picked for India A.

Thank you will be an understatement. For all the sacrifices my mother and father have made, so that their boy could hold a bat and just play cricket.

I promise this is just the start. Mummy, papa, aap dono se zamaana hai. Aur abhi bohot naam kamaana hai!  pic.twitter.com/L9OwRAC5ll

— Dhruv Jurel (@dhruvjurel21) January 13, 2024

India A Tour of South Africa

Jurel accompanied India A to South Africa and scored 69 in the second match after being out for a duck in the first innings. He returned from there and saved UP from being beaten in the Ranji Trophy 2023-24 against Kerala. He partnered Rinku Singh for a 143-run stand for the sixth wicket in the first innings.

Jurel celebrated his call-up to India with a 38-ball fifty for India A against England Lions

Dhruv Jurel (WK)  Rest of India ???????? pic.twitter.com/x4j5fNh5jf

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) September 29, 2023

in the two-day practice game at Ahmedabad.

Where Did Jurel Start From?

Jurel, before his IPL and Ranji Trophy bouts and now the Test call-up, was part of the India Under-19 team and was vice-captain to his fellow UP batter Priyam Garg in the U-19 World Cup 2020. He scored a fifty against Sri Lanka in the group stage and then played a good innings (22) in a match where all other batters except Yashavi Jaiswal failed against Bangladesh in the final.
 

Humble Beginnings of Jurel

Jurel is the son of a retired army man Nem Singh Jurel, who fought in the Kargil War of 1999. Nem Singh wanted his son to clear the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam and become an officer in the Indian Army. However, Jurel found his calling in cricket and impressed all with a 21-ball hundred in a local tournament in his hometown Agra at the age of 14. His cricketing journey was fast-tracked as he moved to Sector 34 in Noida and played all across the Delhi-NCR league systems to get a call from the UP U-19 team for the Cooch Behar Trophy. 

In the Cooch Behar Trophy of 2018-19, 17-year-old Jurel amassed 736 runs from 11 matches at an average of 61.33. That became his stepping stone towards India U-19 selection and he made it to the Youth Asia Cup team as captain. 

Grew up with a real hero #KargilVijayDiwas pic.twitter.com/IhI5z4vgFn

— Dhruv Jurel (@dhruvjurel21) July 26, 2023

Dhruv Jurel's career Timeline 

Year	Achivements
2015	Hit 21-ball century in Agra tournament
2018-19	Hit 736 runs in 11 innings of Cooch Behar Trophy for Uttar Pradesh
2020	Selected as Vice-Captain of India U-19 team for 2020 U-19 World Cup
2022-23	Scored 429 runs in only four matches at an average of 71
May 2023	IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals, scores quick runs
July 2023	Selected in Duleep Trophy and Irani Cup
September 2023	Selected in Emergis Asia Cups India A side
December 2023	Scored 69 on Indai A tour of South Africa
January 2024	Selected in India Test squad