It’s a thankless job, there’s more failures than success, Dhoni’s advice to finisher Dhruv Jurel

Nem Singh Jurel, a retired Havaldar from the Indian Army, wanted his son to crack the National Defence Academy (NDA) exam and serve the country. Jurel Sr, a Kargil war veteran himself, wanted Dhruv to carry forward the legacy but he was too enamoured cricket to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Nem Singh Jurel now doesn’t mind his son’s choice as he has done well in the sport, represented India U-19 in the World Cup, is playing for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket and now has become one of the breakout young star of the ongoing IPL season with Rajasthan Royals.
Dhruv, who has been a wicketkeeper opener since his childhood days, has been given the job of a finisher Rajasthan Royals and the youngster has adapted to the role seamlessly and has played a couple of valuable knocks to steer his team to wins from the direst situations, much like his childhood idol MS Dhoni.
In his first match against Punjab Kings, Royals needed 72 from 30 balls when Jurel walked in as an Impact Player and smoked an unbeaten 32 off 15 balls, but the team fall short five runs. Next match against Delhi Capitals, he got off the mark with a six. Against Gujarat Titans, chasing 1778, he walked out with Royals needing 64 in the last five overs, scoring 10-ball 18, including an effortless six off Mohammed Shami in the penultimate over.
“I knew that at some stage of the tournament, I am going to play but where, when and what would be my role I was not told anything. I was just waiting for one opportunity and wanted to do well,” he told the Indian Express.
The 22-year-old received a bit of advice from his hero Dhoni as well. After hesitating for a while, he bumped into Dhoni after the match against Chennai Super Kings.
“This was the second time I was meeting him but I spoke to him for the first time,” Jurel said.
“I asked him, you have batted your entire life at No 6 and 7 and have done so well. What is the secret and is there anything different that he follows while doing this job for his team?
“He told me ‘it’s a thankless job, there’s more failures than success, so don’t think much. The only good thing about being a finisher is that you expect the worst and prepare accordingly. Not every day you can finish the match,” he shared.
Growing up in Agra, his coach Parvendra Yadav used to get miffed if he played any cross-batted shot but in the IPL, Dhruv has caught everyone’s eyes with his unconventional shots.
“I have worked hard on those shots. Executing unconventional shots in the match takes a lot of practising in the nets. I always try to unsettle the bowler and if you do it a hundred times in the training, the muscle memory helps you react in the match,” he said. Sharing the dressing room with the likes of Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Sanju Samson has also helped Jurel to understand the game situation better.
“You just learn a lot after training with them. Obviously, their skill sets are very high but it is their mindsets that make the difference. So I am learning everyday,” he said.
Growing up in Agra, cricket took over Dhruv’s army aspirations during a two-month summer camp, where he played cricket non-stop and finally, his father took him to coach Yadav to hone his skills.
“I am a student of Army Public School. Right from a very young age, the only career option you think about is joining the Indian Army. My father wanted me to join NDA and become an officer. He has fought the Kargil War and he wanted me to join the ranks as well and was very reluctant when I told him that I want to play cricket,” he recalled.
When cricket took over, the studies took the backseat and while he was scoring big on the ground, the marks started to dip.
“My Principal told Papa, ‘He has to choose between studies & cricket.’ I thought Papa would ban me from it, but he said, ‘Tu cricket khel, baaki mein sambhal lunga,’” said Dhruv.
Back in Agra, his father has made peace with his son’s career choice. “It’s all about doing something for your country. I served the Army during the Kargil war, before retiring in 2008. Now, he wants to play for India which is also a service to the nation. Even though it’s a different field, the purpose is the same,” Jurel Sr said. Coach Yadav vividly remembers his first interaction with Dhruv and his father.
“They used to live 200m away from my house. In April 2010, I was fixing my cooler and in the afternoon, the father-son duo came to my house and it was hilarious. The moment I opened the door Dhruv was on my feet and his father said, ‘Khiladi bana do coach sir nahi toh sainik toh mai bana hi doonga isse (Make him a cricketer or I will make him a soldier).’ I kept saying ‘Sir bring for the trials’ but he was not ready to len, neither was Dhruv,” Yadav told this newspaper.
“From that day on, I will pick him up from his house everyday, and we will go to the academy together. It was a routine for four years. “Since he was a son of a soldier, discipline, hard work and punctuality never became an issue and he made rapid growth as a cricketer,” said Yadav.
Yadav feels Jurel has all the ingredients to play for the country. “It is going to be a long road for Dhruv to achieve that dream. But he definitely knows the importance of patience and perseverance, and with consent performance, he would make it to the senior team as well,” he said.