Dhruv Jurel shared an emotional post on social media quoting his father’s words, after receiving his Indian cricket team jersey ahead of the 2024 tour of Zimbabwe. He received the blue and orange jersey for the first time in his playing career.

Jurel, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, is one among four newcomers selected to the 15-member squad that will tour Zimbabwe in July to play five T20Is.

“Dad always used to say, work hard with all your heart, dreams will come true. When you get success, life will be filled with joy. Dreams will come true when you consistently work hard. Dad always used to say, he told the truth,” Jurel posted.

Dhruv Jurel will be sporting the No. 16 jersey for the Indian cricket team.

Though Jurel made his Test debut earlier this year against England, this is the first time that he has been selected to the Indian team in limited-overs cricket.

Jurel has always been vocal about the support he has received from his father, Nem Chand, a retired Havildar of the Indian Army and a Kargil War veteran.

“Whenever I feel confused, I will talk to him. He guides me. He is my hero,” Jurel had told the BCCI earlier during his Test debut against England.

“I used to see my father, he was very disciplined in terms of diet, training and all. I learnt a lot from him. He was to leave home at 5 AM and return in the evening. I too became disciplined as a result.”

Jurel comes into the national setup on the back of a good season in the IPL with the Royals. He scored two fifties en route to aggregating 195 runs from 11 innings in 2024. He was also brilliant on the field taking 11 catches in 14 innings.

Jurel put in impressive performances in his debut Test series against England earlier this year, scoring 190 runs from three matches at an average of 63.33.

Along with Jurel, the Royals skipper Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Avesh Khan also made it to the Indian team. The Men in Blue meet Zimbabwe in the first T20I on Saturday at Harare.