"We make sure that people like Jurel, Parag and Jaiswal get enough practice" - Sanju Samson on RR youngsters
Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson praised the team management for honing the skills of emerging players like Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Riyan Parag.
Parag and Jaiswal have become more or less regular features in RR's playing XI and are putting up great numbers on the domestic circuit as well.
The world got a good first glimpse of Dhruv, a member of the Indian team for the 2020 U-19 World Cup. The wicketkeeper-batter came in as an impact player and scored a stellar unbeaten 32 off 15 deliveries on his debut to keep RR in the game against Punjab Kings (PBKS).
His knock, however, went in vain as RR fell five runs short at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday, April 5.
Shedding the importance of training camps and the academy, especially during the off-season, Samson said during the post-match press conference:
"Dhruv Jurel has been with is for the last two seasons I think, he was playing a lot of domestic games. What we franchises do is have training camps right before the IPL, but what we made sure is that people who are playing domestic cricket, they keep on coming to our academy."
Samson continued:
"I think we did five to seven camps lasting one week each almost throughout the year in Nagpur, Jaipur, Chennai, Bangalore, almost everywhere. We make sure that people like Jurel, Parag, and Jaiswal get enough practice. A lot of credit has to go to the team management."
Jurel's explosive cameo featured three fours and two sixes, including a glorious shot over cover off Arshdeep Singh's bowling. He was roped in by the inaugural IPL champions during the 2022 mega-auction for his base price of ₹20 lakh.
"We are very hopeful that he comes again and wins us a few games this season" - Sanju Samson on Dhruv Jurel
Dhruv Jurel came into the IPL on the back of a relatively solid domestic season for Uttar Pradesh. The new impact player rule in the IPL could potentially expand his horizons with RR, as it promises regular game time.
Crediting RR's head of cricket for working closely with Jurel, Samson said:
"Especially Zubin Bharucha, who is at the back end of our supporting staff. He has put in a lot of hours making someone like a Dhruv Jurel to bat the way he did in his first game, playing international bowlers in a pressure situation. I think that says a lot about Jurel, and we are very hopeful that he comes again and wins us a few games this season."
RR are next scheduled to face the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday, April 8.