At the bustling Chennai airport on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) afternoon, Harsh Dubey was only worried about a delayed flight to Hyderabad. An hour-long wait alongside his Sunrisers Hyderabad teammates had already stretched enough when his phone rang.

The caller was a sports content creator from Nagpur, Dubey’s hometown, asking for a reaction to his India selection. Except, the 23-year-old had absolutely no clue what he was talking about.

“I thought he was asking about the India A one-day series in Sri Lanka, so I told him I was one step closer,” Dubey recalled, laughing. Poor network around the boarding gate only added to the confusion. “I couldn’t hear him properly, so I told him I would call back later.”

Before he could settle into his seat, more congratulatory messages began pouring in from journalists and cricket acquaintances. Confused, Dubey turned to fellow spin-bowling allrounder Shivang Kumar and quickly searched his name online. That was when reality struck.

For the first time in his life, his name featured in India’s senior national squad — both Tests and ODIs — for the forthcoming home series against Afghanistan national cricket team.

“The first thing I saw was my name. I didn’t even see the rest of the team,” Dubey said. “I didn’t know how to react.”

In no time, it turned into a celebratory moment. SRH teammates gathered around him, handshakes turned into hugs, and phone calls home became increasingly emotional. His mother, he admitted, “struggled to process the news”. Even Muttiah Muralitharan, the legendary Sri Lankan spinner who works with SRH, was curious about the composition of the squad and whether Dubey would make the playing XI.

Dubey’s rise has been swift but hardly accidental. Since his breakthrough 2024-25 domestic season for Vidarbha — where he claimed a record 69 Ranji Trophy wickets while also scoring 476 runs — he has steadily climbed the ladder through India A cricket and the IPL.

Yet, Dubey insists the IPL was merely an extension of the groundwork laid in domestic cricket.

“I feel if you are doing well anywhere, it doesn’t go unnoticed,” he said. “Sometimes it takes more time, sometimes less. But domestic cricket has played a huge role behind this India call-up.”

That sentiment perhaps carries extra weight in an era where IPL visibility often overshadows red-ball consistency, at least in public perception. Dubey’s journey, however, has been built almost entirely on long-form performances before the IPL spotlight arrived. The selectors first noticed him through Ranji Trophy cricket, rewarded him with India A opportunities in England, Australia, and South Africa, and only then did the IPL become a launchpad.

For Vidarbha cricket too, the moment carries significance beyond individual achievement. Despite winning the Ranji Trophy thrice, the central Indian side has produced only one Test cricketer in Umesh Yadav.

“When one of my childhood coaches called, he told me I could become the first Vidarbha player after Umesh bhai to get a Test cap. That’s when I realised how big this is,” Dubey said. “I feel a lot of young players will now believe they can play for India through domestic cricket and not only through the IPL.”

For all the excitement, Dubey sounds determined not to romanticise the moment too much. His self-analysis remains brutally honest. He speaks more about fitness, diet and self-improvement than wickets or records.

“Over the last couple of years, more than skill improvement, I have realised I need to maintain my fitness levels in order to be focussed and perform at the higher levels, so I have been extremely particular about fitness and nutrition aspects,” he said.

Satisfaction, he says, doesn’t come easily. “Even if I perform well, I move on quickly and focus on the next game,” he said. “That mindset has helped me the most.”

Working alongside Muralitharan at SRH has naturally helped too, although Dubey prefers keeping technical conversations simple during tournaments. “I don’t want to complicate my bowling too much in between matches,” he explained. “But whenever we get time, we discuss cricket, whether it’s white-ball or red-ball.”

Amid the whirlwind of the last 48 hours, one thought has stayed constant in his head.

“This is just the beginning,” Dubey said quietly. “Real happiness will come if I keep performing for India.”