Karnataka spin all-rounder K Gowtham is one of the six uncapped players picked for India’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, comprising three ODIs and three T-20 matches between July 13 and July 25.
Gowtham was the headline of the IPL 2021 auction after the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) broke the bank buying him for INR 9.25 crores on a base price of INR 20 lakhs.
“You live a dream for years and now it has come true and you can’t be happier,” Gowtham told PTI after being selected in the India squad for the Sri Lanka tour.
Gowtham is ready to impress in the upcoming white-ball tour armed with his version of carrom-ball.
“I developed it on my own. If you have to play at the highest level, you need to develop skills on your own. In my junior days, I have been coached by Erapalli Prasanna sir also. Obviously, you do look up to a legend like Ashwin. I love Ashwin’s mindset and approach towards the game,” Gowtham said.
With 12 five-wicket hauls in first-class cricket apart from impressive batting strike-rates of 141 plus (50 over) and nearly 160 (T20) in the white-ball format, Gowtham’s record speaks for himself.
He is also looking forward to catching up with Rahul Dravid who will be going with the Indian team as head coach on this Sri Lanka tour.
“If you have played India A, you are aware about how Rahul sir is as a coach and what he would expect from you as a player. So that gives you a better chance of preparing well for the tour when you have earlier played under him. It will be a great learning experience,” he signed off.
(PTI inputs)
