Middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav earned his maiden call-up to the national team last week as BCCI’s selection committee named him in Team India’s 19-member squad for the five-match T20I series against England.

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Sharing his first reaction after receiving India call-up, Suryakumar revealed that he started crying as soon as he saw his name in the squad.

"I was very excited as I got to know about the selection. I was sitting in the room, trying to watch a movie, and got a notification on the phone that I was picked in the Indian team for England T20Is. I started crying after seeing my name in the team. I called my parents, my wife, and my sister. We had a video call and all of us started crying," the official website of BCCI quoted Suryakumar as saying.

"Along with me, they have also been trying to live this dream for a long time. It has been a very long journey and they are the ones who have stood by me throughout. It was really great to see them happy and have those tears of happiness. Everyone wants to play for India. But finally, my time has come," he added.

When asked about playing under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, Suryakumar replied: "Firstly, I am looking forward to spending some quality time with the team and soaking in the atmosphere when I reach Ahmedabad. I have always dreamt of playing under Virat Kohli for a long time and I am excited to go and learn a lot from Virat as quickly as I can so that I can be a better player.

"I have played against him in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the way he reflects his energy on the field even after achieving so much for India is remarkable. I have seen him on the field keeping himself charged all the time. His want-to-win attitude is something to learn."

Suryakumar was rewarded a place in the national side after his consistent performances for Mumbai in domestic cricket as well as Mumbai Indians in the IPL.

He played a key role in MI’s triumphant IPL 2020 campaign in UAE, scoring 480 runs from 16 matches at a strike rate of 145.01 with 4 half-centuries.

Talking about his experience of playing for the Mumbai-based franchise, Suryakumar said that he has learnt a lot about Virat from the likes of Hardik Pandya.

"Over the years, playing with the Mumbai Indians, I have got to learn and know so much about Virat from Hardik Pandya as well. Whenever we have been together, I have asked Hardik what Virat does differently during the practice sessions that he is the best on the ground. Hardik has also told me that Virat practices differently, the energy he has in the practice sessions -- be it batting or fielding -- is completely different and he is the same on the ground. So, these are some of the things that I want to learn from him which makes him the best," he said.

When asked about MI skipper Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar said: "I still remember the time when I was batting with Rohit Sharma during my Ranji Trophy debut. When I walked out to bat, there were a lot of butterflies in my stomach. He just came up to me and said, mate, just keep things very simple. You have worked very hard to reach here. You just have to go out and express yourself. Think about nothing. Just express yourself.”

"It is amazing to see that his approach towards the game or his batting or his advice to the young crop has still not changed. Even today, he tells me the same thing. His presence has really helped me a lot. Having played under Rohit, I have learnt many things about him and his game, how he keeps things very simple, and his astute understanding of the game," he further remarked.

(With ANI inputs)