Ultimate dream is to don the Indian colours, reveals Shreyas Gopal

A young leg-spinner of the Anil Kumble mould, Shreyas Gopal rose to fame in IPL 2019 when he remarkably claimed a hat-trick in a five-over encounter against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), one that included the wickets of both Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. By the time the season ended, accounting for 20 wickets in just 14 games, the then 25-year-old had established himself as one of the best young limited-overs spinners in the country and had the world talking about a potential national call-up in the future.

The ongoing Covid-19 outbreak has meant that Gopal’s desire to back-up his remarkable 2019 season has been temporarily halted, but the youngster has bigger ambitions in his mind. The Karnataka leggie admitted that his ultimate goal is to represent the Indian Cricket Team, irrespective of the format.

"I do want to play for the country whichever format it is. If I can don India colours, I will be really proud of myself. I don't put too much pressure on me. I enjoy the IPL. I work hard. But of course, personally I want to play for the country someday," Gopal told Royals’ spin consultant Ish Sodhi in a podcast, reported news18.

Gopal had his breakthrough season with the Rajasthan Royals, but it was with the Mumbai Indians, who he was with for three seasons, that he learnt his trade and honed his skills. Incidentally, the 26-year-old got the golden opportunity to work with his idol Anil Kumble at the franchise, and Gopal lavished praise on the former Indian skipper and revealed how the legendary leg-spinner motivated and pushed him even when he was warming the bench.

“He (Anil Kumble)  was my first coach in Mumbai Indians. I had interacted with him there and it was great. He is a task master. He is a great off the field also. He did not spare me in the nets and I did not play many matches but he kept me on my toes," 

Having now spent two full years with the Royals, the Karnataka spinner voiced his satisfaction over the culture and camaraderie in the Royals camp and revealed how the opinion of every individual is given importance.

“Best part of Royals is the team culture that we create. Everyone in this team has a say in the team meeting whether he is in the XI or not."