Mumbai all-rounder Suryansh Shedge has turned his maiden India call-up into a deeply emotional milestone, and he says one of the first people to reach out after the selection was Punjab Kings teammate Arshdeep Singh. Shedge was drafted into the squad after Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the Ireland and England tours because of injury, and he went on to make his international debut in the second T20I against Ireland at Stormont. For the young all-rounder, the moment still feels unreal.

“When my selection was confirmed, I received a video call from Arshdeep paaji. He congratulated me and shared his own experience of getting selected. I spoke to him for a while. It was a very emotional moment. It was really hard to process. Even now, it hasn’t fully sunk in yet. It still feels like a dream,” Suryansh Shedge told JioHotstar.

Shedge said his dream of playing for India first took shape when he watched MS Dhoni’s team lift the 2011 ODI World Cup in Mumbai. That night, he said, changed everything for him. From that point onward, he began working with one clear goal in mind: to wear the India jersey one day and represent the country on the biggest stage.

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“The first time I really cried watching cricket was when India won the 2011 World Cup. That night, watching the Indian team lift the trophy, something changed inside me. I knew that this is what I want to do, represent my country on the biggest stage. From that day, I started working towards that dream,” he said.

Shedge added that receiving the Indian jersey for the first time was a moment he will never forget. Years of early mornings, hard training sessions and sacrifice suddenly felt worthwhile, but he also sees the cap as the beginning of a new journey rather than the finish line.

“I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I was ready to give it everything. When I received the Indian jersey and wore it for the first time, I can’t describe that feeling. All those early mornings, the hard work, the sacrifices, it all felt worth it. I have worked for this since childhood. Wearing that jersey is not just a dream come true; it’s the start of a new journey,” he added.

Shedge is now learning under Shreyas Iyer, a captain he knows well from Mumbai and Punjab Kings. He said their conversations often revolve around cricket, pressure handling and match awareness, with the discussions helping him grow as a player. He also praised teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, calling his mindset remarkable and his approach refreshingly fearless.

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“His mentality is incredible. He genuinely enjoys batting and never overcomplicates things. He has such strong belief in his ability. He lives in the moment and plays with complete freedom. That is what makes him so dangerous,” Suryansh Shedge said.