'The Heroes I've Watched On TV..', Dhruv Jurel On Sharing Dressing Room With Kohli & Rohit
Dhruv Jurel [X.com]
On Friday, the BCCI selection committee announced the inclusion of 22-year-old Dhruv Jurel in India's 16-member squad for the first two Tests against England. Jurel, hailing from Agra, thus earned his maiden Test call-up as a backup keeper.
The news came as a pleasant surprise to the young cricketer, who, despite being a consistent performer in domestic cricket and for India 'A', had not anticipated his selection for the senior team.
"My friends told me that I have been selected for the England series. I was ecstatic. I did well enough for India 'A'. However, I didn't give my selection to the senior team any thought. I just concentrated on doing well," Jurel said.
The Agra lad further revealed his emotional conversation with his father upon learning about his selection.
"My dad was overjoyed when I told him. He wanted to know which Indian team I was picked for. The one with Virat (Kohli) and Rohit (Sharma) bhaiya, I said. For the whole family, it was an emotional moment."
Practically, either KL Rahul or KS Bharat will perform the keeping duties in the first Test against England. However, Jurel remains unfazed by the competition, asserting,
"I'm not concerned about others. All I want to do is keep believing and concentrate on my game."
Expressing his eagerness to share the dressing room with cricketing stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and head coach Rahul Dravid, Jurel said,
"Really, I'm at a loss for words. The heroes I've watched on TV will share a dressing room with me. It's going to be totally different from this. I would make an effort to learn everything I could."
Dhruv Jurel, with 15 First-Class matches under his belt, has showcased his prowess by amassing 790 runs at an impressive average of 46.47, including one century and five half-centuries.
Despite being acknowledged as a better white-ball cricketer by some, Jurel expressed his reverence for Test cricket, considering it the ultimate challenge.
"Test cricket is real cricket. It puts your ability, technique, and character to the test. I consider myself exceptionally lucky to be given the opportunity to represent my country at this level," he expressed.
Jurel's inclusion ahead of Ishan Kishan as India's third wicketkeeper-batter for the India vs England Test series. The first Test match of the 5-match series is scheduled to take place on January 25 in Hyderabad.
 "Sumit Gupta")
