'I know you'll be a superstar' - Joe Root's big comment on Indian domestic player
Playing opportunities may have been sporadic for Joe Root during his stint with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2023, but the England batting giant had a great time fine-tuning his T20 game on the sidelines and get a grip on the wealth of domestic talent that Indian cricket is currently enriched with.
During his three-game maiden IPL stint, Root had the chance to interact with many of India's young hopefuls and help them improve with his invaluable advice on the job. One of the young cricketers that the former England skipper was kind enough to make time out for was Royals' promising middle-order batter Dhruv Jurel.
The 21-year-old aggressor played 13 matches in his first IPL gig this summer and struck 152 runs at an eye-catching strike-rate of 172.73. Jurel belted 11 fours and 9 sixes from the 88 balls he faced in the middle and impressed quite a few with his sparkling cameos for the side.
Those cameos and the UP cricketer's solid work ethic touched Root's heart, too, as the modern-day stalwart prophecied a bright future ahead for his young teammate and promised to be ears to the player's needs whenever he requires any advice during the off-season.
Root's nod of approval to the promising Jurel
Speaking in an interview with The New Indian Express after his fruitful stint with Royals in IPL 2023, Jurel revealed a heartening conversation with Joe Root, wherein the England great predicted a future "superstar" in the UP young turk.
Jurel also unveiled being part of multiple important conversations with Root during the last two months and learning the skills of the trade from one of the best in the world.
"He’s so humble," Jurel said. "He came to me and told me that ‘I’m expecting that you’ll get in touch with me during the off-season because I know that you are going to be the superstar. I can see the potential in you’."
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Jurel would be hoping to imbibe all the lessons from Root into his craft as he now goes back to the domestic game and tries to build on his gains with the Royals in IPL 2024.
The 22-year-old has already featured in 11 first-class matches with an average of 48.91, featuring a solitary ton and three half-centuries.