No Pressure, but Dream to Don India Colours Some Day: Shreyas Gopal

Rajasthan Royals’ bowling all-rounder Shreyas Gopal on Tuesday said he does harbour ambitions of playing for India someday but is not putting too much pressure on himself by thinking about it all the time.

Speaking to their newly appointed spin consultant New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi during ‘The Royals Podcast | Ep 1’, Karnataka leggie Gopal said it is his dream to don India colours but he is ready to work hard and earn his place.

“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,” the 26-year old said.

With the coronavirus outbreak bringing the world to a standstill, the the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was postponed from March 29 till atleast April 15. India is currently on a 21-day lockdown to combat the deadly virus.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now looking at the October-November window for the IPL. But the move can only be possible if the ICC decides to postpone the men’s T20 World Cup that is to be held later in the year, according to IANS sources in the board.

Asked about the best part of Royals’ team, Gopal said: “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.”

Gopal also spoke about his role model Anil Kumble. “He 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,” said Gopal.

On leg-spinners being the toast of T20 cricket, Gopal opined: “The reason people love leg spin in T20 is the ball spins both ways and we can also bowl the straighter one.”