Dhruv Jurel

Some Lesser Known Facts About Dhruv Jurel

• Dhruv Jurel is an Indian cricketer who has played for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket, India Under-19 in international cricket, and Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Indian Premier League. He gained a reputation as a match finisher after scoring quick runs for RR in the 2023 IPL season.

• His father, an Army veteran of the 1999 Kargil War, dreamt of making him an Army officer and told him to study hard and pass the NDA exam; however, Dhruv was inclined towards sports.

• When Dhruv was studying in the 8th standard, he went to join the swimming camp at the 60 days sports camp at his school; however, he saw a batsman hitting sixes at the cricket camp and got drawn towards the game, so he joined the cricket camp on the pretext of swimming camp and did not inform his parents about the change of his game.

  

• When his father came to know about this, he got very angry and tried to convince Dhruv to play individual sports; however, Dhruv did not budge and convinced his father about his cricketing passion. His father talked about this in an interview and said,
  

  He (Dhruv) was a kid when I retired. He needed full support at that age. He was adamant about becoming a cricketer. I respected his love for the sport. I did everything I could as a father. Today, I feel really proud when I see him wearing the India jersey. I will be happier the day my son wears the senior team jersey.”

• He later trained at Springdale Cricket Academy, Agra under coach Parvendra Yadav, and at Aster Cricket Academy, Noida Extension, Noida under coach Abhay Singh.

  

• He started his cricket training as an offspinner; however, upon the advice of his coach Parvendra Yadav, he became a batsman and wicketkeeper. His coach Parvendra Yadav said that he was confident that Dhruv would play for India. ^[3]The New Indian Express

• He once requested his father to buy him a cricket kit who denied his request. He then locked himself in a bathroom and threatened to leave the house. His mother got worried when she heard this and sold her gold chain to buy a cricket kit for him.

  

• He played 6 matches in the 2014 Under-17 School National Cricket T20 Championship where he scored 600 runs with four centuries and two half-centuries.

• He scored 152 runs for Uttar Pradesh Under-14 in the 2015 Under-14 Raj Singh Dungarpur Trophy where he scored 137 runs in the final against Madhya Pradesh.

• He scored 100 runs in 21 balls in a 2017 T20 tournament between Agra, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh which made him very popular in his hometown.

• On 16 October 2018, he made his maiden one-day half-century for Uttar Pradesh Under-19 against Jharkhand Under-19. He scored 762 runs and took 51 catches in 11 matches of the 2018-19 Cooch Behar Trophy.

  

• He played for India Under-19 in international tournaments and was the Vice-captain of the team in the 2020 Under-19 World Cup. He also captained the India Under-19 team in the 2019 Youth Asia Cup.

  

• On 10 January 2021, he played his debut T20 match for Uttar Pradesh against Punjab and scored 23 runs.

• On 17 February 2022, he made his debut in Ranji Trophy for Uttar Pradesh against Vidarbha and scored 64 runs in the first innings and 4 runs in the second innings.

• Noted industrialist Parth Jindal’s venture JSW Sports signed Dhruv Jurel as its exclusive athlete in April 2022. ^[4]JSW Sports

• Rajasthan Royals (RR) acquired him in the 2022 IPL mega-auction for his base price of Rs 20 lakhs. He made his IPL debut on 5 April 2023 against Punjab Kings in Guwahati and made his mark by hitting 32 quickfire runs.

  

• He later scored quick 34 runs against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and 34 runs against Chennai Super Kings (CSK); his power hitting was applauded by cricketers and fans.

  

• Dhruv revealed during an interview that he wanted to be cool and calm like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and he was very happy after talking to Dhoni. ^[5]The Tribune

  

• Dhruv recalled the hardships, he faced during his cricket journey, in an interview and said that his family always supported him. His father stitched his gloves when they tore up, and his sister used to drop him off and pick him up from the training academy.

• He talked about his father’s support in an interview and shared an anecdote; he revealed that he did not give his school exams as he was playing cricket. When his school principal called his father and informed him about the situation, Dhruv thought that he would have to stop playing cricket; however, his father told him to play cricket without any worry. This incident motivated him a lot.

  

• He is an animal lover and spends time with his pet dog whenever he is at home.

  

• Dhruv said in an interview that he likes watching National Basketball Association (NBA), and on some days, he plays basketball more than cricket; he also likes to train using heavy weights.