India’s veteran domestic star Shreyas Gopal reached a significant milestone by taking the field for his 100th First-Class game in the Duleep Trophy final between South Zone and East Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium and dubbed the moment as ‘surreal’.
“The biggest thing it’s taught me is discipline and perseverance, without which you won’t be able to play too many games. “So many memories over the last few years that I’ve had – good, sour, upsetting, happy – it’s a very mixed feeling, but to stand here and to be playing my 100th game is a very happy and proud feeling. It has been challenging, but it’s also been very rewarding at the same time. I want to dedicate it (100th game milestone) to my family, my parents and my wife, and definitely some of my very close friends, and the fans and people who have supported me right through my journey,” Shreyas concluded.
“Growing up as a kid, you dream of playing a few games for your state, but you don’t really dream about playing your 100th, so that’s a special feeling. During his career, Shreyas has experienced both success and challenges since making his FC debut in 2013.
Shreyas, who has been a vital cog for Karnataka in the domestic arena, reflected on reaching the milestone, calling it a “very happy and proud feeling” in his career. “It’s pretty surreal to play a 100th first-class game, and the Duleep Trophy final makes it even more special,” Shreyas said in a video shared by BCCI Domestic on social media. “When you come into first-class cricket, one of the things that I was told as a kid was, ‘playing first-class cricket is not the thing to be able to last for that many years; it’s going to be the hardest thing’. Now that I’m standing on this side, I understand why they said that.
