Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan - tracking India's latest debutants' inspiring stories
Team India's debutants for the third Test against England, Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan, had huge responsibility on their shoulders, and they carried out their roles to perfection in their first time of asking. Both players were among the runs during the first innings of the Test, but narrowly missed out on what would have been memorable milestones.
Sarfaraz looked at ease in his first-ever international outing, and while he scored a fluent fifty, his innings was cut short because of an unfortunate run out. The right-handed batter dominated the final session of the opening day, but did not avail himself a chance of converting his knock into a hundred.
Following Sarfaraz Khan's show on opening day, fans got to witness what Dhruv Jurel had to offer. The wicketkeeper-batter was an assured presence at the crease in his first outing with the bat, scoring 46 runs off 104 deliveries. His job is arguably only half done as he has to prove his worth with the gloves as well to establish himself as the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in the team.
On that note, let us take a look at the marvelous journey to the top for the newcomers - Dhruv Jurel and Sarfaraz Khan.
Dhruv Jurel - From impact player to rear guard
Just 10 months prior to the ongoing clash in Rajkot, Dhruv Jurel was padding up to come out for the final overs for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season as an impact player. He made an instant impression with his quickfire cameos, but not many predicted the youngster to break into the red-ball squad in a year's time.
Several factors like Pant's unfortunate injury, Ishan Kishan's self-imposed exile, and KS Bharat's indifferent form led to Jurel's surprise call-up, but one cannot claim that he was unworthy by any means. For what he lacks in terms of experience, he makes it up with his solid technique as well as his temperament.
Jurel's journey goes well beyond the IPL stint with the Rajasthan Royals in 2023. His path was surmised well by Dinesh Karthik when he presented the cap to the debutant prior to first day's play in Rajkot.
“Coming from Agra, moving to Noida at a very young age, your mother being with you all the tough things that must have happened in the journey, there must have been so many people through that journey who would have really helped you. I am sure all of them would be watching today," the fellow wicketkeeper-batter said.
Dhruv Jurel's cricketing journey began with a brief stint in a summer camp at school. As he developed an interest in the game, there were hurdles at place set by life that he had to overcome.
He was conflicted as he shared a passion for swimming as well as cricket, but it was the latter that won the battle in the youngster's heart. The family switched to Agra following a heart attack to his father in 2008, and his mother had to even sell her jewellery to afford a cricket kit for the talented player.
He eventually repaid the price for his mother's sacrifice by getting her a gold chain through his first-ever IPL contract.
Jurel was poised to forge a career in defence, much like his father, who had served the nation in the Kargil War. The player's initial progress in the sport was clouded with fear, as he did it in secret. While his father was furious when he found out about his son's exploits in the newspaper, Jurel eventually managed to convince him.
“He habitually reads the newspaper. So, while turning the pages one day, he noticed there was a mention of some young cricketer named Dhruv Jurel, who had scored some big runs in a local tournament. So, he called me from the other room to ask if I knew this guy," Jurel said in an interview with Sportstar in 2023
Apparently a fan of Kobe Bryant, the youngster will hope to match his idol's well-documented mentality and bear the fruits of the rocky journey up until now.
Sarfaraz Khan - Fulfilling dreams for two
One of the telling moments of the first Test, irrespective of how it pans out, is bound to be Sarfaraz Khan being handed his Test cap. It happened in the presence of his father, Naushad Khan, who played a huge role in his journey right from the start.
Sarfaraz had to wait for a considerable time before he made it to the playing XI. Despite copious runs on the domestic circuit, all he endured was a slew of heartbreaks in recent times, whenever the squads were announced by the selection committee.
However, he did not give up and kept working on his game, and a lot of his spirit has got to do with his journey and the way his father groomed him for the biggest stage.
Sarfaraz Khan arguably had a smooth sailing at the youth level, playing in two U-19 World Cups as well as representing the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL.
His talent was spotted early since his father was a cricket coach himself. Naushad Khan was a club cricketer, and often groomed other emerging cricketers as well, with Sarfaraz and his brother Musheer entering the fray eventually.
Sarfaraz Khan was a huge name in Mumbai circuit while growing up. The hype surrounding him grew following his consistent exploits in the Harris Shield and other school level competitions.
Growing up in the slums, the cricketer had huge responsibility on his shoulders and he had the ever-constant support of his father through every step of the journey.
He endured a major slump after a meteoric rise, a fear of peaking too early. He was released by RCB, and had next to no impact in the league amid constant switching between franchises. He found solace in the longest format of the game, and did the best thing a player can do to gain the selectors' attention - pile on runs in dominant fashion.
Despite runs by his side, which usually is the solution for the majority of batters, the situation was different for Sarfaraz. Amid all of the difficulties mentioned till now, he had difficulty warding off the notion that he was not fit enough for international cricket just because of his body shape and size. He has silenced his critics multiple times with his performances, and while the chatter is unlikely to die down, the logical ones will not have a problem as long as his bat keeps chriping for him.
Much like Anil Kumble mentioned in his cap presentation speech to Sarfaraz Khan, the ongoing Test is just the start of a long career for the player. Everytime he will step out on the field in the future, there will be one body, but two souls.
Will the two newcomers be a regular part of the red-ball team going forward? Let us know what you think.