Nagpur, May 28 (IANS) Young left-arm spin bowling all-rounder Harsh Dubey said his selection for the upcoming one-off Test and three ODIs against Afghanistan felt like a dream come true and described his maiden call-up to the national team as ‘another opportunity’ to move closer to fulfilling his dream of playing for India.

“I only see it as an opportunity – like another opportunity has been created for me to go one step further in fulfilling my dream. It’s a dream of every Indian cricketer to represent his country and do well for his country.

“Actually, I didn’t understand for the first five minutes that my name had been selected because I felt like I was still dreaming. So it took some time for it to sink in,” Dubey told IANS after arriving in Nagpur, a day after his IPL side Sunrisers Hyderabad campaign ended with a 47-run loss to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator in New Chandigarh.

Dubey, who shot into the limelight by being the leading wicket-taker in Vidarbha winning the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy, describes himself as a genuine all‑rounder and says he won’t change much in preparations for the series against Afghanistan.

“I always say that I love my batting the most. So I will say I am an all‑rounder, a hundred percent, and there is no question in that. I will not do anything different in terms of preparation. I will do what I have been doing and not do anything different. It’s important to have faith in yourself.”

On learning from overseas cricketers in the IPL, Dubey said, “Yes, definitely. A lot of international players, Australian players, English players – you learn a lot of things by playing with them. Like how you can be as a person off the field and on the field. So I definitely learned this thing.”

“I don’t think there is a difference between a senior and junior player (in the IPL). I think it’s important to do your best on the day, as that’s what matters the most – whether you are a senior or a junior player.”

Dubey credited his parents, Surendra and Jyoti, for their sacrifices, including leaving their jobs in the CSIF and a private school, respectively. “All coaches have helped me to where I am now. If I take the name of one coach, I think it will be unfair to the other coaches. But I will give the most importance to my parents.

“Because of their sacrifice, I am here today in life. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to be here. They sacrificed their personal life for me and were always focusing on my career. It’s a big thing for anyone, and I am able to pay it off today – it’s a very big thing for me.”

Offering advice to youngsters, Dubey signed off by saying, “I would like to say that you should work hard. If you are playing cricket or doing something else in life, don’t cheat and give your 100 percent in everything. I would also like to say that IPL is not the only thing. I would like them to focus on the red ball format and not just become an IPL player.”

–IANS

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