Mumbai: Overwhelmed by emotion after getting her son Ruturaj's name in India call-up, batsman mother Savitha thanks God for the opportunity and she is sure he will deliver when given a chance.
"It is great to see my son's name in the list, and I am sure he will do well," said Savitha, a teacher by profession with the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation school.
Let us not count the chickens before they are hatched, is what Dasharath, Ruturaj's father feels. "Let us not talk about what he will or can do. It all depends when he gets a chance, and I am sure he will come good," said the former Class One officer with the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DROD) in Pune.
The 24-year-old Ruturaj from Maharashtra is one of the six uncapped players named in the 20-member squad for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka next month. The Shikhar Dhawan-led side will play three ODIs and three T-20 matches between July 13 and 25.
He is also the fourth Pune player to be in the Indian squad after the legend Chandu Borde, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Kedar Jadhav.
The right-hander averages over 47 in the 59 List A matches that he has played and has a strike rate of more than 130 in the T20 format.
The youngster, who rose to prominence after his successful stint with IPL team Chennai Super Kings, said he is looking to reconnect with Rahul Dravid, who would be the head coach of the team. Dravid has, in the past, coached the Indian under-19 and A teams.
Humbled to lead my country: Dhawan
PTI adds: Handed responsibility to lead the Indian team on the Sri Lanka tour, opener Shikhar Dhawan on Friday said he feels humbled after being appointed captain of the national side.
India will play three ODIs and as many T20s in Colombo starting July 13.
The selectors picked a bunch of fresh faces for the Sri Lanka series on Thursday as the main team is in the UK for the World Test Championship final and five Tests against England.
"Humbled by the opportunity to lead my country. Thank you for all your wishes," tweeted Dhawan.
The 35-year-old has played 34 Tests, 145 ODIs and 65 T20s.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been named Dhawan's deputy.
Five players have received their maiden India call up for the series including K Gowtham, Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Rana, Ruturaj Gaekwad and Chetan Sakariya.
