Former Sri Lankan cricketer and Royals' Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara expressed his pleasure after Royals batter Dhruv Jurel was picked in the Indian Test squad for the upcoming England series. Jurel made an impressive IPL debut with Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2023 and has also been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit for his state team Uttar Pradesh and India A.
Commenting on the news of his selection, Sanga said:
"I’m feeling very proud and happy because one of our key motivators and performance indicators in the IPL is to produce players for India and we have produced quite a lot over the years. Jurel is the latest addition. He is a brilliant young man, a very good player and has worked really hard to get where he has," he told ANI.
The youngster has spent two IPL seasons in the Royals dressing room that has featured some big names including the likes of Jos Buttler, Joe Root, Sanju Samson etc. Jurel did not feature in a single game in 2022 but spent his time learning from his seniors and absorbing every little lesson that came his way. In 2023, he finally got his opportunity when the Royals introduced him as an 'Impact Substitute' in the initial phase of the tournament. As a batter with an attacking mindset, Dhruv fit the bill perfectly and quickly earned a deserving finisher's spot in the Playing XI. His performance in that role drew plenty of praise from the cricketing fraternity, including the Sri Lankan legend.
#WATCH | Paarl: On Dhruv Jurel's selection in India's Test squad against England, Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara says, "Very proud and happy because one of our key motivators and one of our key kind of performance indicators away from the IPL is producing players for… pic.twitter.com/e4WOjWEAYT
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"Dhruv's work ethic and demeanour stand out. He came in at a very difficult position for Rajasthan Royals last season and scored a lot of runs," he said, complimenting the 22-year-old.
Dhruv has been a regular at the Royals' training camps, which extend well into the off-season, offering year-round development and support to each of our players.