He is likely to be drawing comparisons with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, however wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel on Friday mentioned no person can fairly match as much as the previous India captain and he would fairly deal with carving his personal area of interest in worldwide cricket. Jurel, who made his Test debut through the recently-concluded sequence towards England, was sharp behind the wickets, strong with the bat and fairly instinctive whereas guiding captain Rohit Sharma throughout DRS calls.
His assured efficiency prompted the legendary Sunil Gavaskar to check Jurel with Dhoni, however the 23-year-old, who’s the son of a Kargil conflict veteran, begged to vary. (Did You Know: Son-In-Law KL Rahul Captains LSG But Suniel Shetty Is Fan Of Multiple-Time Champions)
“Thank you so much Gavaskar sir for comparing me with Dhoni sir. But I want to say personally that no one can replicate what Dhoni sir has done,” Jurel mentioned on the ‘India Today Conclave’.
“There is only one Dhoni. Always was and always will be. For me, I just want to be Dhruv Jurel. Whatever I do, I want to do as Dhruv Jurel. But Dhoni sir is a legend and he will always remain like that,” added the younger wicketkeeper-batter.
You cannot be dangerous at cricket when your idol is MS Dhoni
What a end Dhruv Jurel pic.twitter.com/KdIVS3OvOG
 MahiEra (@themahiera) May 19, 2023
Jurel known as Tests the “purest” type of the sport and mentioned getting the India cap was a dream come true for him. (Explained: What Is The New Stop Clock Rule Imposed By ICC For T20 World Cup 2024?)
“It (getting the Test cap and getting the man of the match) hasn’t yet sunk in. It was a pleasure to play Tests, the purest form of cricket. I was sure that I would play Test cricket some day and it has been a dream-come-true moment for me.”
“I always wanted to play Tests. When I was playing U-19, my goal was to play 200 Tests, which I later realised was not possible,” mentioned the teen, who on the age of 12, travelled alone to a cricket academy in Noida for coaching from his Agra house.
Jurel additionally dismissed comparisons between Test cricket and Indian Premier League as unrealistic.
“(For me) IPL has not reduced the love for (Test) cricket. When I got the baggy cap (India Test cap), it was a different feeling altogether. There is no contest whatsoever (between the two). Test cricket is at a different level,” he mentioned.
On whether or not he fancies his possibilities of making the squad for the T20 World Cup within the West Indies and the USA, Jurel mentioned he wasn’t pondering to this point forward. The World Cup is to be held in June.
“To be honest, I don’t have to think much; let’s just control the controllables,” he mentioned. (IPL 2024: LSG Welcome Gabba Test Hero Shamar Joseph With Hilarious Dig At Australia – WATCH)
Jurel additionally praised the BCCI’s latest transfer to reward these taking part in extra Test matches, saying it was a “great initiative” however he was nonetheless making an attempt to determine the rise in perks. It was an emotional second for Jurel when his father, Nem Chand, who was additionally current among the many company on the conclave, saluted his son for bringing laurels to the nation.
“Dad was in the (Indian) Army. He wanted me to join the special forces and prepare for the NDA (National Defence Academy exams). Dad was disciplined in diet and training. (But) he was not in favour of cricket. So I did not tell dad (initially) that I had started playing cricket. He tried to convince me to continue with academics. Then I approached my mother and tried to bring both on the same page.”
“Finally, he agreed to get me a slogger bat made of Kashmir willow. When I wanted a kit worth Rs 5000-6000, my mom said she would sell her gold chain to get me one,” he recalled a well-documented anecdote from his youth.
