The dream that millions of young Indian cricketers see has finally become a reality for 23-year-old Harsh Dubey. After years of hard work in domestic cricket and a strong rise through the ranks, Dubey has earned his maiden call-up to the India squad for the upcoming home series against Afghanistan.
Vidarbha all-rounder’s dream of sharing the dressing room with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is now about to come true. The 23-year-old is still soaking in the moment after receiving his maiden call-up to India's squad for the upcoming one-off Test and three ODIs against Afghanistan.
Harsh Dubey excited to share dressing room with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
The India selection itself was a huge achievement, but the thought of sharing the Indian dressing room with two modern-day legends, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, has made the occasion even more special for the Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounder Harsh Dubey.
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Dubey has grown up watching Rohit and Kohli dominate world cricket. The youngster admitted that one of his biggest wishes was to play with either Kohli or Rohit before they retire from international cricket. Now, with both Rohit and Kohli in the squad, it is a dream come true moment for him.
Harsh Dubey said on Jiostar, "If you ask any young cricketer who they want to play with right now, the first two names will be Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. I have grown up watching them. Ever since I started understanding cricket, they have been performing for India and dominating world cricket."
"So, getting a chance to play with them is a huge achievement for me. I always wanted to play alongside at least one legend before they retire or whenever their final phase comes. Even if I get to play one match with them, it will be a dream-come-true moment for me."
Harsh Dubey mistakes India call-up for India A selection
Interestingly, Dubey revealed that he was at the Chennai airport with his Sunrisers Hyderabad teammates when he first got the news about his India selection. Since their flight had been delayed, he was waiting in the airport lounge when he received a call from a cricket social media manager congratulating him on being picked for the ODI squad.
However, Dubey misunderstood the news because of the noise and poor network connection, and assumed it was about the Sri Lanka A ODI tri-series. And replied by saying, "I said it felt like one step closer to the dream and that my focus was still on the IPL.”
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It felt like a dream: Harsh Dubey's emotional reaction to India call-up
The SRH all-rounder said he was left shocked and emotional after seeing his name in both India's Test and ODI squads and admitted that the news felt so unreal that he felt like it was a dream.
Dubey further said, "As soon as I hung up, I started getting messages saying I had received both the Test and ODI call-ups. I was confused because the squad had just been announced, so I quickly checked online and saw the news."
"It honestly took me a few minutes to process what had happened. Even when Murali Sir asked me who the other spinners in the squad were, I told him I had only seen my own name. It genuinely felt like I was dreaming."
