Vidarbha skipper Harsh gets India call for Afghanistan series, brings joy to Nagpur

Nagpur: From IPL breakthrough to a maiden Team India call-up, Vidarbha's Harsh Dubey continues his steady ascent in Indian cricket. The 23-year-old left-arm spinner and allrounder was on Tuesday named in India's squad for the upcoming one-off Test and three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.India will play the Test in New Chandigarh from June 6 to 10, followed by ODIs starting June 14.Long regarded as "India material", Dubey's selection is the culmination of years of perseverance, backed by family sacrifices and consistent guidance from coaches. Those who have tracked his journey believe he is ready for the highest stage."Harsh has always shown patience. Even in his first Ranji season, when opportunities were limited, he waited quietly. Next year, he grabbed his chance and broke Bishan Singh Bedi's record with 69 wickets," a Vidarbha Cricket Association official told TOI.Coaches who worked with Dubey from his junior days said his basics and cricketing intelligence stood out early. "From the Under-14 level, we knew he was special. There wasn't much to change — his fundamentals were strong. He never shied away from responsibility and delivered when it mattered," a coach said.Dubey first made headlines as the leading wicket-taker in the 2019-20 Cooch Behar Trophy (58 wickets), followed by topping the charts in the 2021-22 CK Nayudu Trophy (45 wickets).His record-breaking 2024-25 Ranji season proved to be the turning point. The same year, he was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad as an injury replacement and has since established himself as a regular in the Indian Premier League side.Selectors appear to have rewarded his ability to perform under pressure. "In a country full of talent, timing is everything. Harsh has delivered at the right moments and earned this opportunity," another coach said.Dubey now becomes only the second home-grown Vidarbha cricketer after Umesh Yadav to be named in India's Test and ODI squads.Jitesh Sharma has featured in T20Is, while Karun Nair, though selected while representing Vidarbha, was not a product of its system.With his call-up marking a breakthrough year, all eyes are now on whether Dubey can translate domestic dominance into success at the international level.TEAMSIndia Test Squad: Shubman Gill (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vc), Rishabh Pant (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar.India ODI squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (VC), KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Harsh Dubey, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, and Gurnoor Brar.