Dheeraj Jadhav was bound to be noticed some time soon. A prolific opening bat for Maharashtra, the 25-year-old from Pune has been quietly waiting in the wings.
His name did come up for discussion in the last selection committee meeting after the Chennai Test but was finally included for the final Test in Mumbai.
At the moment, it seems that local lad Gautam Gambhir, who has the experience of five one-dayers behind him, will open in Mumbai with Sehwag, but Jadhav is not worried. Excerpts from an interview:
Q: This is a dream come true....
A: Yes, definitely. It's every player's dream to play for India one day.
Q: You've been a prolific scorer in domestic cricket. Do you think the call is late in coming?
A: No. I think it's come at absolutely the right time, when I'm mentally ready to face the challenge. I've had a good run with the India A team and that's probably what made this possible. And then of course, there was an opener's slot available.