“Seeing a 13-year-old travel alone, I knew this boy is special” - Dhruv Jurel’s coach recalls UP cricketer’s journey 

Keeper-batter Dhruv Jurel’s coach Phool Chand remembers the cricketer as a confident personality from his teenage days. Chand recalled that a 13-year-old Jurel traveled alone from Agra to Delhi to meet him.

India handed two debut caps ahead of the Rajkot Test against England on Thursday, February 15. While Sarfaraz Khan grabbed most of the limelight, it was a big moment for Jurel, who has also not had an easy journey.

In an interview with news agency PTI, the keeper-batter’s coach went down memory lane and revisited the cricketer’s journey. Chand remembered his first interaction with Jurel in 2014 when the 13-year-old met him without any elderly person accompanying him.

"Before I could ask anything, the boy said, 'Sir my name is Dhruv Jurel and please take me in your academy',” Chand recalled.

"I didn't see any parent accompanying him. I thought maybe he is a local boy from Noida but then he said, 'Sir, I have come all alone from Agra and the friend who had promised to arrange my accommodation at his house isn't picking up the call'," he added.

Chand immediately called up Jurel’s father, an ex-armyman who fought the Kargil war in 1999. On interacting with the cricketer’s father, the coach came to know that it was his grandfather's tervi (shraddh) and so the boy told his dad that he would take the train from Agra to Delhi.

"Seeing a 13-year-old travel alone, I knew this boy is special," Chand asserted.

Jurel had no place to live initially, but Chand arranged for his accommodation in a hostel, kicking off the cricketer’s journey.

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“For a teacher, can there be a bigger day than seeing his student excel” - Dhruv Jurel’s coach

Thursday was special for both Jurel and Chand as the former was handed his India Test cap. Sharing his emotions about the big day, the latter told PTI:

"For a teacher, can there be a bigger day than seeing his student excel. He is the first among my students who will play Test cricket and second after pacer Shivam Mavi to play international cricket.”

Asked if he passed on any special message to his student ahead of his Test debut, Chand said:

"I had messaged him early in the morning that, 'Is din ko yaadgar banana' (make this day memorable), and he said, 'Main apna best dunga, sir' (I will give my best, sir)."

Jurel replaced Srikar Bharat as keeper-batter for the Rajkot Test after the latter failed with the willow in the first two matches.