The Dhruv Jurel story: Son of Kargil war veteran, mother pawned jewellery to buy cricket kit for him

As was expected Dhruv Jurel made his Test debut in the third Test against England in Rajkot on Thursday. With the team management not too impressed with the performance of wicketkeeper-batsman KS Bharat, the 23-year-old from Agra got the Test cap for the vital game of the series that is tied at 1-1.

Dhruv has impressed those who matter and when the team management and selection committee decided to drop Ishan Kishen, they picked the talented Uttar Pradesh wicketkeeper.

For father Nem Singh, a retired Havaldar in the Indian Army, it has been nothing but a dream ride over the last one year.

“Dhruv played in the IPL, he played for India A, and now he has been picked for the Indian team. It is a dream for us. We don’t know how to thank people and God. The other day, I spoke to Dhruv and told him to be more grounded than before,” he says.

𝗗𝗵𝗿𝘂𝘃 𝗝𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗹 – 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀!

Being named in the Test squad 🙂
Day 1 jitters with #TeamIndia 😬
Finding his seat in the bus 🚌

Jurel is a mixed bag of fun & emotions!#INDvENG | @dhruvjurel21 | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/WQryiDhdHG

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 14, 2024

There was a time when Nem wanted his son to crack the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam and serve the country as a soldier. Jurel Sr, a Kargil war veteran, wanted Dhruv to carry forward the legacy but the youngster was too enamoured by cricket to follow in his father’s footsteps. No one in the family has played cricket, and getting a stable job has been the big goal.

However, Dhruv had something else in mind. In his early days, his father got feedback from many that his son bats very well and should focus on it, but concerns about a future in the game remained.

“No one from my family has played cricket. Everyone who saw him bat said, ‘ladka achha hai, aap ise cricket mein daalo’. But I’m a father and was worried about his future too. Cricket nahi hua toh kya hoga (what if he didn’t make it big in cricket)? Dhruv was not that good in studies either,” his father recalled.

Nem met coach Parvendra Yadav, who ran the Springdale Academy in Agra, and requested him to make his son a good cricketer.

Money matters

Cricket is an expensive sport, especially if one wants to become a batsman. Dhruv’s father remembers how he wanted a bat costing Rs 800 and his mother had to pawn her only gold chain to buy his first kit.

“I had to borrow 800 rupees then because we didn’t have money. He later wanted a kit bag but it was very expensive, some 6000 rupees. I said ‘mat khelo, itna paisa nahi hai (leave the game, I don’t have so much money).’ But he locked himself in the bathroom and his mother decided to pawn her only gold chain, which was how we managed to buy his first kit bag. Now, I laugh sometimes when I recall those moments but one thing was clear. He was ready to work hard,” Jurel Sr adds.

Nem is now referred to as Dhruv’s father wherever he goes. He is enjoying the spotlight and waiting for the day his son dons India colours. He feels proud but is trying to stay grounded. For a father who remembers all his scores and has watched most of his games in junior cricket, the conversation these days revolves around food and values.

“I don’t talk to him about cricket anymore. The other day when he called, I asked him whether he had had food. How has he been? I remind him not to forget his sanskar (values) so that everyone looks up to him. Give respect to all those who have helped him till date,” Nem advises.

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