'I have been looking at myself wearing the jersey' - Team India uncapped players excited for the SL tour

India will be fielding two different National teams to participate in two different series around the same time. India’s main team including many of the senior players is currently present in the United Kingdom as they will feature in a five-match Test series against England from August 4 to September 14.

Meanwhile, a limited-overs squad will be traveling to Sri Lanka to participate in three One Day Internationals and as many T20 Internationals. The 20-member squad announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the Sri Lanka tour features a lot of new names. 

As many as five players including the likes of Nitish Rana, Devdutt Padikkal, Chetan Sakariya, Krishnappa Gowtham, and Ruturaj Gaikwad have received a maiden call-up to the Indian team. Ahead of the tour, BCCI assembled all the Sri Lanka-bound players in Mumbai where they were required to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine period.

All the players were allowed to come out of their room and meet other players in the hotel premises only after they completed their quarantine period and tested negative for the novel coronavirus. On Friday, June 25, BCCI shared a video on their official Twitter handle where the new players shared their feelings upon completing the quarantine period, meeting their teammates, and donning the Indian jersey for the very first time. 

I am very excited as this is my first call-up to the national squad: Chetan Sakariya

The short clip commenced with Devdutt Padikkal expressing his feelings on training alongside the Indian teammates in the gym. The opening batsman exclaimed that he feels much happy while training in the gym as compared to training alone during the quarantine. 

Further in the video, Sakariya added, “Since the time I have been out of the room, have been looking at myself wearing the jersey. I am very excited as this is my first call-up to the national squad. Players have become quite used to the quarantine. Feels good to have met with everyone.

The clip concluded with Nitish Rana saying that it was difficult for him to survive the quarantine as each day felt like a year. “First seven days I was waiting to meet my teammates and wear the jersey. It was a bit tough to wait every minute. It felt like each hour was passing like a year. Have met with new people, learned new things. Looking forward to the intense workout and doing well in the series,” Rana said.

Brand "New Video" Alert ⚡️⚡️

New faces 😃
New beliefs 🤞
New energy 👌#TeamIndia's talented newbies speak about their run of emotions after getting out of quarantine, hitting the gym & gearing up for Sri Lanka series. 👍 👍 #SLvIND

Full video 🎥 👇https://t.co/sHsi9LG6ii pic.twitter.com/1muHP2uaQ8

— BCCI (@BCCI) June 25, 2021