India’s rookie fast bowler Tushar Deshpande said making his debut against Zimbabwe in the fourth T20I of the series, means a lot to him as it was his childhood dream to play for the country. Deshpande, who replaced Avesh Khan in the playing XI, shared his happiness before making his debut.

The right-arm pacer from Mumbai gave credit to Chennai Super Kings and the IPL in his journey to the Indian team. In IPL 2024, Deshpande scalped 17 wickets in 13 matches for CSK at an average of 24.94 and an economy rate of 8.83.

On his debut, Deshpande got the big wicket of Zimbabwean captain Sikandar Raza, who was going strongly after scoring 46 off 28 but the 29-year-old was able to bamboozle him with a slower wide ball.

“Very happy to be here. It all goes back to my childhood days when I dreamt of playing for my country. Being here wearing the blue feels very proud. Means a lot to me. The atmosphere is really great here. Playing for CSK in the IPL helped me. That experience will surely help me in the internationals. Overall the atmosphere in the team is chill,” Deshpande told the broadcaster before the start of play in Harare on Saturday.

On the other hand, Deshpande’s wife Nabha Gaddamwar was also present when former Indian spinner Sairaj Bahutule presented the fast bowler with his debut cap.

“This is once in a lifetime moment, literally. But it all comes back to the sacrifices that his parents made to be able to witnessing the moment. And of course his hard work, it’s quite overwhelming,” Deshpande’s wife told in a video uploaded on BCCI’s X account.

Deshpande returned with figures of 1-30 in the three overs he bowled. The fifth and final T20I of the series will be played at the Harare Sports Club, Harare on Sunday.