Young wicketkeeper batter Dhurv Jurel was the toast of the nation as he earned a Player of the Match award for his incredible batting performance in India’s recent fourth Test win over England in Ranchi.
Jurel had played a brilliant knock of 90 runs in the first innings to help India recover from 177/7 and take them to 307, reducing the deficit to 46 runs. In the second innings, India had lost some quick wickets and were 120/5 chasing 192 runs. Then Jurel, along with Shubman Gill, took India safely home and scored an unbeaten 39*.
When Jurel had scored his maiden Test fifty, the youngster celebrated by doing a salute. His father Nem Chand Jurel, a Kargil War veteran, revealed that Dhruv wanted to give tribute to not only him but also to the Indian army as well.
“I belong from the army, and he knows about my discipline, he has seen me in my uniform, my salute. He used to observe all that and he has those childhood memories so he thought he would celebrate his fifty with the salute and it was not only for me, but it was for all of India and the Indian army,” said Nem Chand on The Breakfast Club show on CNN-News18.
Jurel’s calm and composed batting led to several experts and like Sunil Gavaskar, Anil Kumble compared the 23-year-old to one of India’s great – MS Dhoni.
His father said that it was too early for such comparisons, but he was happy with his son being talked about in the same breath as the former India captain.
“I am very happy with the fact that someone like Sunil Gavaskar, who played for India for over 20 years and was a big star, and still is, then Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag, is talking about Dhruv. But I am not thinking about any comparisons with Dhoni. Dhoni is a huge star, who won two World Cups for India – and I cannot compare my son to him; but I am very happy with the fact that the cricketers are making that comparison,” Nem Chand said.
Nem Chand was not initially in favor of Dhurv pursuing cricket as a profession, but as is the case with many Indian households, it was Dhurv’s mother’s affection and support that eventually led Nem Chand to budge.
“We wanted him to join the army, study well, and clear the NDA [National Defence Academy] exam, but his intentions were different. He told me ‘Papa Hum Cricket Khelenge’. He had gone to a summer camp, it was primarily for swimming, but there were a lot of kids playing cricket, so he asked me whether he could play cricket, and at that point, in time I also took it lightly and told him to go ahead and play for a month or so, and gradually his interest peaked in game. He was around 10-11 years old when he started playing cricket,” Nem Chand said.
“I told him off a lot initially as he was not getting good marks. I did scold him also, but he had his mother’s affection and support and she advocated for Dhruv saying let him play, he will also study as well,” he added.
The fifth Test between India and England will be played in Dharamshala on March 7.
(News18 inputs)
