“My family used to watch him in the beginning” - Dhruv Jurel shares insights on his cricketing idols ahead of 2024-25 BGT

Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel has shared insights into the cricketers from whom he has drawn inspiration. The 23-year-old will be in action when India take on Australia in the first Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting on Friday, November 22, in Perth.

Ahead of the series, in the ‘On the Mic’ segment of Star Sports, the young batter spoke about his cricketing idols, naming four Indian players and one former South African captain. He said:

“Virender Sehwag—my family used to watch him in the beginning—AB de Villiers because of his innovation, the calmness of MS Dhoni, the aggression of Virat Kohli, and the ease of Rohit Sharma. There are so many cricketers from whom I’ve drawn inspiration.”

The Uttar Pradesh cricketer also revealed that his biggest dream was to play Test cricket for India, reminiscing how he would set alarms to watch India’s tours to countries like Australia and New Zealand. Now, with the opportunity in front of him, the keeper-batter is excited and hopeful for a chance to play. Jurel said:

“To be honest, I never really thought about it. That’s what life is—full of surprises. From childhood, my biggest dream was to play Test cricket for India. This is a huge achievement, especially the goal to play in SENA countries."

"I remember when matches were held in Australia, New Zealand, and England, we had to set alarms because the time zone was different. I was always filled with excitement, and now that I'm here, I'm hopeful for the chance to play in the matches. I am still very excited, though there are some butterflies in my stomach, but I am looking forward to it," he continued.

The 23-year-old debuted for India earlier this year during the series against England, where he had an impressive performance, scoring 190 runs in three matches, including a half-century.

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“We know there will be challenges, but we are ready to overcome them” - Dhruv Jurel on 2024-25 BGT

The young keeper-batter acknowledged that the 2024-25 BGT will be a tough challenge, especially after India’s recent whitewash by New Zealand in a three-match Test series at home.

However, Jurel expressed that Team India are highly motivated and ready to tackle any challenges ahead.

“I can’t deny that this is a difficult tour, especially after how the last series went. We are very excited and pumped up, and we are here to give it our all. We are looking forward to every challenge. We know there will be challenges, but we are ready to overcome them,” Jurel said in the same interaction.

Jurel was a key member of the India A team for the second unofficial Test against Australia A, where he stood out as the lone bright spot, scoring half-centuries (80 and 68) in both innings.

Reflecting on his performance, he said:

“I had a rough idea that the pitches here would be very different from those in India. I knew the pitches would be bouncy, so I planned my shots accordingly and worked on improving my game. It turned out to be a good approach.”

The visitors face the tough challenge of winning the series by at least a 4-0 margin to secure automatic qualification for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.