This story was first published on ESPNcricinfo Hindi. Below is a translated version.
It is common in India for two doctor parents to expect their children to take up the same profession, but this was not the case with Aryan Juyal, whose parents supported him in his cricketing journey.
The 22-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, who played the 2018 Under-19 World Cup and recently played for India C in the Duleep Trophy, now has more responsibility after being appointed captain of Uttar Pradesh for this Ranji Trophy season.
"I am fully prepared for this challenge," Juyal told ESPNcricinfo. "Last season, too, I captained the team in a match against Kerala, where we won. Leading the team does not put any extra pressure on me."
Juyal started playing cricket in his hometown Haldwani when he was still in school. During that time, while playing a match in Dehradun, he caught the attention of the Abhimanyu Academy coach, Ravindra Negi. On Negi's advice, Juyal's father took his son to the academy.
"I could have become a doctor, but my parents helped me become a cricketer," Juyal said. "They never put any kind of pressure on me. I used to practise at home by putting a ball in a sock, which helped me a lot in estimating the speed of the ball."
At the age of 11, Juyal was playing in the Under-14 and Under-16 sides for Uttar Pradesh. Two years later, he moved to Moradabad where his maternal grandparents live. From there, he started going to Delhi five days a week where he started practising at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Cricket Club under the guidance of coach Sanjay Bhardwaj.
Juyal said working with Rahul Dravid, who was then India Under-19 coach, helped him a lot. "I learned a lot of things from Rahul Dravid sir, how patience and aggression can impact a match. My approach to hitting the ball has changed a lot since the World Cup. I have matured a lot now, I know what to do in difficult situations."
Before IPL 2022, he was picked by Mumbai Indians for a base price of INR 20 lac. Just when all seemed to be going well, Juyal suffered a knee injury while playing for Central Zone against East Zone in the Deodhar Trophy last year. Due to this, he could not play in the first season of the UP T20 League. For the same reason, he could not put his name in the IPL 2023 auction.
"That injury was very painful because you don't want to get injured before the season starts," Juyal said. "You want to play cricket continuously and remain in the eyes of the selectors, but it was good that I was able to make a comeback in the Ranji Trophy and was also the captain in the first match."
It was an impressive return for Juyal. With 577 runs in seven matches, he was the highest run-getter for Uttar Pradesh. In ten innings, he scored two hundreds and two fifties, with a best of 201. He carried that form into the 2024 UP T20 League as well. Playing for Gorakhpur Lions, he scored 104 off 54 balls against Noida Super Kings.
"I had confidence right from the beginning of that innings," Juyal said. "I got the opportunity to come to the crease in the fourth over after Abhishek Goswami was out. Dhruv Jurel was at the other end; he supported me well. Both of us took advantage of every opportunity, which put pressure on the bowlers."
After just three matches in the tournament - in which he scored one century and two fifties - Juyal was picked for the Duleep Trophy. When Juyal was asked what he expects in the upcoming IPL auction, he said, "It was good that the scouts were present on the field [during his hundred in the UP T20 League]. I have done my job, now it depends on them what they think."