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[Saba Sports News] Uttar Pradesh’s wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel has been called up to the Indian cricket team for the first two Tests in the upcoming five-match series against England, starting January 25. The 22-year-old joins the 16-member squad as a backup wicketkeeper to KL Rahul and KS Bharat, filling in for Ishan Kishan who is taking a break due to mental fatigue.
Upon his selection, Jurel expressed deep gratitude to his parents for their sacrifices and support in his cricket journey. He shared a heartfelt message on Twitter along with a screenshot of a video call with his parents, acknowledging their efforts and promising that this is just the beginning of his career. His tweet read: “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!”
Jurel’s path to professional cricket was marked by his family’s sacrifices, including his father borrowing money for his cricket bat and his mother selling her gold chain for his cricket kit. Recently, he made an impact as a finisher for the Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023.
In his first-class career, Jurel has amassed 790 runs at an average of 46.47, including one hundred and five fifties. His T20 performance includes scoring 152 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 172.72 in IPL 2023. Jurel was also the vice-captain of the Indian U19 World Cup squad in 2020, where he scored 89 runs across three innings, helping India reach the finals. As he prepares for his international debut, Jurel is set to build on his promising domestic and junior international performances.