Dhruv Jurel opens up on net session tricks, dressing room communication, and anchoring partnerships

RR keeper-batter on dealing with debutants, extended batting sessions, and positive mindsets

Hyderabad: Rajasthan Royals’ star wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel has revealed that he always thrives when people keep talking to him on the field.

“Someone should come up to me and have a chat so that they feed positive thoughts to my mind. Even a simple, normal thought can help. When someone tells me something before I go out to bat, it stays with me,” Jurel said in a chat with JioStar.

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“I carry that thought into the middle. And when I can execute what we discussed, it gives me confidence. That kind of communication makes a huge difference in your personal mindset and the overall atmosphere in the dressing room,” he said.

On his love for batting and the clever tricks he uses to get extra time in the nets, Jurel said: “I love to bat. I keep telling Vikram Rathour sir, our batting coach, to give me more time in the nets, but he always says no. So, I always find a way to bat more in every training session. I reach early and start batting 20 minutes before the session officially begins.”

“When others want their turn, I ask for 10 more minutes. When that’s up, I ask for five more. I just keep batting. When my turn ends, I take my pads off but leave them in the nets. If there’s a gap later, I jump back in. Vikram sir knows I won’t stop, so he always says, ‘Dhruv, please come out and let the others bat too.’ I do this every time because I love batting. Before a match, I don’t want to feel that I am not ready,” he explained.

On how he paces his innings according to the match situation and supports his batting partners, Jurel said: “When I go out to bat, I take my time to settle in. I read the situation first. I check how the ball is coming off the wicket, what a par score would be on that pitch, or what the required rate is if we are chasing. I don’t rush, and I pace my batting as per the needs of the situation.”

“A majority of the time, one of the two—Yashasvi Jaiswal or Vaibhav Suryavanshi—was there at the other end, batting well. So, I let them continue their momentum. My job is to stay with them, rotate the strike, and hold one end up. That way, we can build a long partnership. I try to play around them and keep the scoreboard moving,” he said.

On his method of communicating with bowlers, Jurel said: “As a wicketkeeper, when I talk to bowlers, I never tell them what to bowl. I just say, ‘Brother, take your time. You are good enough. That is why you are here.’ I say this especially to debutants. I have been in that position. I know that when you make your debut, a lot of thoughts run through your mind. You keep thinking about what to do and what not to do. You cannot tell a debutant exactly how to bowl.”

“It is not easy. If you do, they start doubting themselves and end up making mistakes. So I focus on giving them confidence. I tell them, ‘Back yourself. Whatever delivery you plan to bowl, stick to it. Don’t overthink.’ I try to give them belief from behind the stumps that whatever you are thinking is good. Don’t worry about what could go wrong. Just back yourself. We have to play good cricket. We have to play positive cricket. And we have done that throughout this IPL season,” he concluded.