- By Himanshu Badola
- Sat, 13 Jan 2024 08:53 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
India vs England Test Series: India, on Friday, announced the squad for the Test series against England which begins on January 25 with the first match scheduled to be played at Hyderabad.
In the 16-member squad named for the first two Tests, India picked Dhruv Jurel as one of the three wicketkeepers included in the team.
This is Jurel's maiden call-up for the national team in the longest format as the young wicketkeeper-batter gears up to don an India jersey despite the least chances to get game time.
India and England will face off in the five-match Test series which will be part of their World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.
Jurel's inclusion was made possible as the other wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan continues to be out of action after he left the squad on South Africa tour due to mental fatigue.
Jurel's name gained huge limelight after he made his mark in the IPL 2023 while playing for Rajasthan Royals where he played in a finisher's role.
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He played as an impact substitute player and ended up scoring 152 runs in the tournament at a stunning strike rate of 172.73.
Jurel was also part of India's Under-19 World Cup team in 2020 which lost against Bangladesh in the final, having played as a wicketkeeper-batter in the tournament and scored 89 runs at an average of 44.50 including a half-century.
Talking about domestic cricket, Jurel plays for Uttar Pradesh and made his first-class debut in February 2022.
The 22-year-old has played 15 red-ball matches at junior level so far and has 790 runs to his name at an average of 46.47 with the help of a century.
Jurel was born in Agra (Uttar Pradesh) on January 21, 2001.
His story is very inspiring as he was far from being a privileged one. Coming from a humble background, Dhruv rose up the ranks and made his name in the domestic circuit.
While recalling his early days, he opened up on a few touching instances including a moment when his father even borrowed money to buy a cricket bat for him,
"I used to study in Army School. During the holidays I thought about joining a cricket camp at Eklavya Stadium in Agra. I filled up the form but did not tell my dad. When he came to know, he scolded me. However, he borrowed Rs 800 to buy me a cricket bat. When I told him I needed a cricket kit, Dad asked me how much it would cost. I told him about Rs six to seven thousand and he told me to stop playing. But I was adamant and locked myself in the bathroom. Then my mom sold her gold chain and got me a cricket kit," Dhruv Jurel had said.
"My friends told me that I got selected for the Indian team. When I told them that I have been selected, they asked me 'Which Indian team I got selected?' I told them Rohit bhaiya, Virat Bhaiya wala Indian team. My whole family got emotional after hearing this," he added.
He went on to make his professional debut for UP during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021, India's premier domestic T20 tournament, and scored 23 runs against Punjab.
After an impressive run in T20 format, Jurel earned his maiden appearance in first-class cricket during a Ranji Trophy match against giants Vidarbha and made an instant impact by scoring 64 runs in the first innings.
Rajasthan Royals scouted the youngster before the IPL 2022 mega auction and signed him for a base price of INR 20 lakh.
In List A cricket, Dhruv has scored 189 runs in 7 innings at an average of 47.25 with two fifties and has scored 244 runs in 19 T20 innings at a strike rate of 137.07 so far.
He was part of India A squad that traveled to South Africa last month. He registered a failure in the first game but played a solid knock of 69 runs in the second match.
He was also part of the India A team that participated in the ACC Asian Emerging Cup tournament in Sri Lanka last year and played a key role in helping his side reach the final.
Apart from Jurel, KL Rahul and KS Bharat are the other two wicket-keepers named in India's squad for the England Tests whereas the regular keeper Rishabh Pant is still not available for selection as he continues to recover from injuries.