“My Papa Started Crying Right There”: Harsh Dubey on His India Call-Up, Filling Jadeja’s Shoes, and Earning Gambhir’s Trust

Subhayan Chakraborty, Mullanpur

With the senior core of the Indian side handed a tactical breather ahead of a gruelling international calendar, the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan, starting on 6 June in New Chandigarh, is less a routine bilateral fixture and more a gateway to the future. With stalwarts such as Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah rested, the national selectors have sent a clear message that the next generation is officially on notice. Among the fresh faces walking into the Indian dressing room, none carries as much intrigue and domestic pedigree as Vidarbha’s 23-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder, Harsh Dubey.

In an exclusive conversation with RevSportz, an ecstatic yet grounded Harsh opened up about the chaotic moment he discovered his selection while in transit at an airport with his IPL side, Sunrisers Hyderabad, the emotional storm it triggered back home, and the surreal reality of potentially replacing the very man he spent his childhood idolising.

For a young cricketer on the verge of his dream, the news arrived through a flurry of speculative phone calls while he was sitting at an airport gate.

“Somebody came up and I got a call randomly,” Harsh recalled with a chuckle. “He was saying, ‘Man, your name has come in the ODI series, how does it feel?’ I thought he was asking about our Tri-Nation ODI series for India A. I told him we are ‘one step closer’ and hung up!”

It was not until Harsh checked his phone during an unexpected one-hour flight delay, accompanied by fellow international Ishan Kishan, who was equally oblivious, that the magnitude of the moment hit him.

“I directly Googled it and found the live updates of the press conference on a website. I saw my name in one team, then saw it in the other team… Brother, for two minutes I didn’t even understand what was happening! Luckily, our flight got delayed by an hour, so I found out. Otherwise, I would have only known after landing when the phone started ringing ting-ting-ting-ting-ting,” he laughed, recalling the moment of joy.

The reality of a maiden national call-up is a feeling Harsh is still struggling to quantify.

“The hard work put in for so many years… what we think, right, that one day I have to play for India… I cannot even express it,” he said. “There are absolutely no words for that feeling. Sitting in front of the TV as a kid, dreaming of playing for India… words will never be found for that.”

While Harsh was processing the shock at the airport terminal, a media wave had already hit his family home. Before he could even coordinate a family group call, his parents were already overwhelmed.

“Some news reporter called my papa to tell him the list was out. My papa started crying right there,” Harsh shared softly. “As soon as I found out, papa video-called me. My mummy was asking me, ‘The name has definitely come, right? Tell the truth… the name has come, the list has come?’ I said yes, yes, it has come! And there, papa is crying, mummy is crying. I didn’t cry, but how do I explain it? It was actually very emotional.”

With national selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar explicitly noting that Harsh is being groomed as a long-term multi-format prospect, comparisons with Ravindra Jadeja are inevitable. Harsh’s devastating left-arm orthodox spin and lower-order batting stability make him a near like-for-like alternative to the veteran all-rounder. For Harsh, however, Jadeja is not merely a tactical benchmark; he is the blueprint of his entire cricketing identity.

“When I was a kid, if I had watched someone, it was Ravindra Jadeja only, and it cannot be anyone else,” he admitted. “Since the time I started understanding cricket and playing the game, he was doing incredibly well internationally. I have grown up watching him.”

Harsh even recalled a priceless encounter in the United Kingdom where, while playing for India A, he picked the brains of the master himself.

“The first time we interacted was in the UK. I caught him and made him sit with me for almost half an hour! We just spoke about the mindset, how I can do better, and what more I can add to my game. I think he got irritated with my constant questioning, but he was patient enough to answer it all.”

Harsh’s rise to the pinnacle of Indian cricket is firmly rooted in the rigorous grind of the domestic circuit. He skyrocketed into the national consciousness during Vidarbha’s stellar 2024–25 Ranji Trophy campaign, where he shattered records by picking up a staggering 69 wickets – the most by any bowler across a season in the tournament’s rich history. Backed by over 1,000 first-class runs and refined under the mentorship of Ravichandran Ashwin in Chennai’s club cricket scene, Harsh is thoroughly prepared for the red-ball format.

Yet, despite Agarkar’s high praise, highlighting that the youngster possesses “all the ingredients” to become India’s next great spin-bowling all-rounder, Harsh refuses to let the hype cloud his focus.

“It is a very good thing that he is showing so much trust. It, of course, boosts confidence, but I feel that I wouldn’t want to think too much about it,” Harsh stated with maturity beyond his years. “This opportunity that has come and what is in my hands – I would like to focus on that rather than complicating it by thinking about who is watching or what people are saying. Whatever is in my hands, I will just try to do that well.”

Heading into the series, Harsh will be operating under the watchful eye of Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, a figure whose big-match temperament has left an indelible mark on him.

“I am very, actually very much excited,” Harsh said, his voice filled with genuine admiration. “Everyone has seen that 2011 World Cup final. I was a kid then, and it gave me so much motivation to play for my country one day and replicate something like that. So everyone definitely has a soft corner for him. The way he played that innings… and then, after that, getting to work with him too. Actually, I am very excited. To be honest, it’s a privilege to be around anyone in this Indian team.”

In the one-off Test and three ODIs against Afghanistan, Harsh will find himself walking into a dressing room marshalled by Gambhir and sharing space with icons such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Ironically, Harsh already boasts a memorable piece of history with Kohli from his exploits in the IPL with SRH.

“My first IPL wicket was Mitch Marsh, and my second was Virat Kohli! But still, when I realised that I’ll be in the same camp, I thought, ‘Man, I’ll actually get to meet them regularly here,’” the 23-year-old said. “I have grown up watching them. I actually can’t believe that I will be able to play with them, to be honest.”

From breaking records in the Ranji Trophy to helping spearhead Vidarbha’s Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy triumphs, Harsh Dubey’s career has struck all the right chords at the perfect time. As the Afghanistan challenge looms on 6 June, the young all-rounder is not looking too far ahead. He is simply ready to keep his head down, let his left arm do the talking, and take his first official step into the big league.

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