Delhi and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batsman Nitish Rana has on Wednesday (June 16) revealed that Shikhar Dhawan was the first person to call him after he earned a maiden call-up to the Indian cricket team for the upcoming limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka next month.
In the absence of Virat Kohli, who is in the UK with Team India for the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand followed by the five-match Test series against England, Dhawan will be leading the second-string Indian team in Sri Lanka next month.
Rana has been selected for the Sri Lanka series featuring three One Day Internationals (ODI) and as many as T20Is starting on July 13 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
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The Indian team will be led by Shikhar Dhawan in the absence of Virat Kohli, who will be with India's Test squad as it prepares for the five-Test series against England in the UK.
Ahead of India’s departure to Sri Lanka, Rana has opened up about his India selection and revealed it was Dhawan who was the first person to congratulate him after the selection.
Rana told India TV: “The first person to call me after my selection in the Indian team was Shikhar bhaiya. He congratulated me on my selection, and I was so happy that I kept saying 'thank you, thank you!' and unknowingly disconnected the call!”
He further added, “Shikhar bhaiya called me three seconds later and said, 'I've also been named the captain for the first time, who will congratulate me! Then I congratulated him.”
Hailing the veteran cricketer, the KKR star further mentioned: “He is a very cheerful person and he always wants to keep everyone happy. He has had a positive impact on my career. Even in life, Shikhar bhaiya is one of the persons who I can bank upon in any situation.”
On his Team India selection for the Sri Lanka series, Rana said: “I had been waiting for my India call-up for the past 2-3 years. I had an intuition that my name will come. The feeling hasn't sunk in yet, it is a dream-come-true moment. I think it will only sink in when I take part in one or two practice sessions.”
He concluded, “Six uncapped players were selected on this tour, and it is a good opportunity for all of us; especially with the T20 World Cup coming up later this year. I consider myself lucky that there have been two tours and different squads have been selected, which provided me with a chance.”
(With India TV Inputs)
