Were you expecting it or was it a pleasant surprise?
Not really a surprise. When I heard that I have been selected for the Board President's XI match, I knew that I was going to be in the team. In the last Challenger Series I had done well, I had good knocks. The World Cup in Sri Lanka helped me a lot. I think I have done well with the team, I was in the highlights, so this was not a surprise for me.

You are only the second cricketer from U.P to make it into the national Test side, how does it feel?
In U.P I would say we have good mature players, they have not been getting chances. At the moment they are getting some chances, but they have not clicked in crucial tournaments and tours like India 'A'. I would say we have good players coming up. It is really great that I have been selected for the team, the second guy from U.P to be picked. We players in U.P have really matured. I have been with them for the last two years. I have seen them playing matches. We have a slow track in UP, and it is very difficult to build our innings. We will really have to work hard on the pitches back home.

The last time I interviewed you, you said that your ambition was to play for India? Now that you are in the team, what is your ambition?
I would like to stay as long as I can and give my best performance always. I never thought that it is enough to be in the team, my ambition is to do something special for my team. Like, I am going to play against South Africa now and that is something special for me.