Dhruv Jurel hits massive six against Mark Wood
With the team management not too impressed with the performance of wicketkeeper-batsman KS Bharat, talented cricketer Dhruv Jurel made his Test debut in the third Test against England in Rajkot.
Jurel impressed fans with a useful knock of 46 with the help of two fours and three sixes.
Following Jurel’s inclusion in the Indian team, it’s like a dream come true for his father Nem Singh who is a retired Havaldar in the Indian Army.
There was a time when Nem, who is a Kargil war veteran, wanted his son to carry forward the legacy. He wanted his son to crack the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam and serve the country as a soldier. However, Dhruv had other things in mind. He 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.
“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,” recollected Nem.
Dhruv’s father recollected 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,” Nem added.
With Dhruv’s inclusion in Team India, Nem is a proud father now. Wherever he goes, he enjoys as the spotlight as Dhruv’s father.
“I remind Dhruv not to forget his sanskar (values) so that everyone looks up to him. Give respect to all those who have helped him till date,” said Nem, the proud father.
