“My mom had to quit her job.” Suryansh Shedge made the emotional admission after calling the maiden in India | Cricket News:

NEW DELHI: Young Mumbai and Punjab Kings all-rounder Suryansh Shedge, who received his maiden call-up to India on Tuesday after replacing the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy in India’s T20I squads for the series against Ireland and England, is naturally full of joy.“Honestly, I still can’t let it sink in, and I don’t think I’ll let it sink in until I get to take a flight! I still can’t believe it! It’s been my dream since childhood. And obviously, it’s a very special feeling. And I feel very proud and happy for my parents (Prashant and Priyadarshini), because of the sacrifices they’ve made for me, I wouldn’t have been a cricketer,” the 23-year-old told TOI.“My mom worked in a bank, but she quit her job because she had to come with me to practice and games,” he revealed.Shedge has been training under former India batsman Jatin Paranjape for the past two years, with the former cricketer working hard to hone his ward’s game.Expressing gratitude to his coaches, Shedge said, “The way Manish Bangera, Jatin and Monty Desai have helped me in my journey, it’s very inspiring because they really believe in me.It will help Shedge that he has played under Shreyas Iyer, India’s new T20 captain, for Mumbai and Punjab Kings.“That is true. In the last two years, I have made four debuts under him – in SMAT, Vijay Hazare Trophy, India A and the IPL. He is someone who gives his 100% in terms of attitude and commitment to the team, and that mentality has crept into the whole side,” Shedge said.Shedge’s selection as Reddy’s replacement was announced after the latter suffered a quadriceps injury, BCCI: Secretary Devajit Saikia stated, “Suryansh earned the call-up after a series of impressive performances for India A in the recently concluded tri-series in Sri Lanka. The 23-year-old scored 147 runs in five matches and also chipped in with the ball, bowling 23 overs in the entire tournament. He was also one of the standout performers for Mumbai in their victorious Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign in 2024-25, scoring 131 runs at a strike rate of 251.92 in the lower middle order.“Obviously, Shedge’s ability to produce big hits in slog overs, along with contributing some useful overs at medium pace, has won the confidence of Ajit Agarkar and his fellow selectors.India begin their tour with a two-match T20I series against Ireland in Belfast on Friday before taking on England in a five-match T20I series, starting in Chester-le-Street on July 1.However, Shedge felt he “should have done better” in the tri-series in Sri Lanka.“I was not good in the last two games,” he complained.India are scheduled to play five T20Is and three ODIs in England in July. In fact, India are without the services of the star all-rounder Hardik Pandya of the UK tour due to a quadriceps injury and workload-related issues. Reddy was expected to fill the void left by Hardik, but now Shedge will be tasked with filling the big boots.After performing well for India A, is he looking forward to this opportunity?“No. During the last two-three years, my thought is that I should not expect from my cricket, because I feel that at this stage, it is important to remind yourself why you started playing cricket. When I was 8-10 years old and I stepped on the field, I just enjoyed playing the sport. So, somewhere along the way, we forget that. However, in the last two to three years, I have been practicing gratitude and reminding myself why I started playing cricket,” he said.“So I don’t expect anything,” he added.Shedge’s CV is boosted by his ability to build a profitable brand at medium speed.“I think my bowling has improved a lot in the last two years, and that’s something I’ve worked hard on, because I know how easy it is for a team. And if I want to contribute, I need to improve every day,” he commented.Shedge scored 158 runs in seven matches at an average of 39.50 for Punjab Kings in IPL 2026.“I have faced international bowlers in the IPL, so it is also a big confidence boost. And after sitting out for half a season, I feel very proud to be playing in the XI,” he said.Who is he trying to emulate as an all-rounder? The all-rounder smiled, “I’m my idol Ben Stokes:. If you saw, he bowled a spell of 12 overs in the Ashes. And he has to do it for his team too. He had to contribute. So I’m looking for him.”