IPL 2023: Debut against Punjab Kings to Sanju Samson's captaincy, Dhruv Jurel gets candid like never before | EXCLUSIVE

Rajasthan Royals' young sensation Dhruv Jurel joined Khel Now for an exclusive candid chat on the recently concluded IPL 2023.

Rajasthan Royals were taking on the Punjab Kings and required 74 off 30 deliveries to win the game. The task was quite achievable in the modern T20 game, but nonetheless, difficult.

Out walked 22-year-old Dhruv Jurel, ahead of Jason Holder, as an impact player. Well, his promotion over Holder was enough evidence as to how the RR management perceived him. He eventually struck a phenomenal 32 off 15 deliveries in his debut game, but what caught more attention than his strokeplay was how confident Jurel was during his brief stay.

"I did not put pressure on myself. I was confident. I kept telling myself that you have prepared a lot and I tried taking the pressure and the crowd out of the equation and it turned out to be good," Dhruv Jurel told to Khel Now.

Dhruv Jurel was bought by RR in 2022 and suddenly found himself amidst the likes of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. "It was great meeting them, but more than their skillset, I try to understand their mindset and how they manage to stay consistent. Their advice helped a lot and I will try and better myself in this off-season because now I know the areas I need to work on."

Jurel was particularly all praise for his father, who kept him grounded and motivated all the time. When asked about how he kept himself motivated when his peers like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravi Bishnoi were being bought by IPL teams, he said that his father, who is an army veteran, backed him and told him to just concentrate on his game, and not focus on anything else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzIbnEW4NpQ

Dhruv Jurel is best friends with Riyan Parag, who has been trolled heavily this season for the lack of performances. He, however, is sure that Parag will come back stronger than ever.

"I don't think the trolling is having much of an impact on him. He has been performing well while practising and is also making runs in practice games. It is just about time we see him making a significant contribution," Jurel said.

Talking about Sanju Samson as a leader, Jurel said that he gives players their space to perform. "Samson doesn't tell his bowlers what to do. He just asks them the field they want and the kind of delivery they are going with. That's it."

With a strike rate of 172.73, Jurel struck 152 runs this season in 13 games. Watch out for this man. He is definitely one for the future.