Dedicate my Indian call-up to my mother and late father, expresses Chetan Sakariya

Dedicate my Indian call-up to my mother and late father, expresses Chetan Sakariya

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Sakariya made an instant impact for the Royals

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IPL

After receiving a maiden call-up for the Sri Lanka tour, Chetan Sakariya has dedicated the selection to late father Kanjibhai Sakariya and mother Varsha Sakariya. He also thanked Royals’ skipper Sanju Samson for showing confidence in him and expressed his shock over the early Indian call-up.

Chetan Sakariya was one of the talents unearthed in the suspended IPL 2021, where he earned the trust of his skipper, Sanju Samson, giving Rajasthan Royals some crucial breakthroughs throughout the tournament. Sakariya rode on his Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament form, where he picked 12 wickets from five games. His consistency and spark earned him his maiden international call for Sri Lanka’s limited-overs tour. 

Earlier last month, Sakariya’s father became a victim of the virus COVID-19 after battling it for days. Sakariya dedicated his international call to his late father Kanjibhai Sakariya and mother Varsha Sakariya, expressing his gratitude to them, for allowing him to play cricket. 

“I lost my younger brother and a month later I got a big IPL contract. I lost my father last month, and god has handed me an India call-up. I was in the hospital for seven days when my father was battling for his life. This is an irreplaceable void. This one is for my late father and for my mother, who allowed me to continue with my cricket,” Sakariya told The Indian Express. 

Sakariya, who has picked seven wickets in as many games in the IPL 2021 so far, expressed his indispensable wish of making his debut in the presence of his father, who had dreamt of seeing his child play for the Indian team. 

“I wish my father had been here to see this. He wanted me to play for India. I miss him a lot today. God has made me see ups and downs in a span of one year. It has been a very emotional ride so far,” Sakariya expressed. 

The Saurashtra bowler had impressed with his short IPL stint and displayed quality bowling against Chennai Super Kings yielded 3/36 after picking the wickets of Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni. Sakariya was surprised to receive the call in the main squad as he had the expectations to be picked as a net bowler. However, he promised to match up to his potential, if he gets a chance to make his national debut. 

“The way people were talking about me after the IPL, I was thinking that now at least I have a chance to be a net bowler for the Indian team. I never expected that I will straightaway be picked in the main squad for Sri Lanka. Now it has happened, I will give my best,” Sakariya said.

The youngster also credited his Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson for showing confidence in him while mentioning how he gave him assurance about his India selection. 

“Sanju bhai was showing more confidence in me than anyone else. In fact, he told me during the IPL that the way I was bowling, an India cap wasn’t far away.”

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