A number of days in the past, when younger England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir noticed a missed name from a New Zealand dialing code quantity, he ignored it considering it might be from “anyone random”. All of six top quality matches outdated, Bashir could not even think about in his wildest dream that the quantity belonged to former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum and the England red-ball coach was calling him to present him some thrilling information. “I was like ‘Who is this? It could be anyone random’,” Bashir advised ‘The Telegraph’. Bashir’s inclusion within the 16-member Test squad for the tour of India on Monday got here as a shock to everybody together with the off-spinner himself. It wasn’t till McCullum reached out to him on WhatsApp that Bashir responded. “I didn’t think it was someone winding me up, and I didn’t think much of it until it hit me. Then I was like, ‘Wow, it’s Baz’.

“Honestly, I can not put it into phrases now, and it has been two or three days. It’s simply so particular. I’m delighted to have a chance – it’s loopy, loopy information,” he said.

England will play five Tests in India as part of their ICC World Test Championships cycle starting in Hyderabad on January 25.

Looking forward to a grueling sojourn to the subcontinent, Bashir is ready with his bag full of tricks. Apart from that, England will bank on his six foot four inch-tall frame and vast hands to help him generate bounce and bowl with control.

“I’ve acquired the off-spinner, the undercutter, a side-spinner and an arm ball. And I’m engaged on a Carrom ball, too. So, I’ve acquired a couple of, and I believe they might work fairly properly in India.” The 20-year-old has snared 10 wickets in his fledgling first-class profession since making his skilled debut in June for Somerset.

He was a part of England Lions’ journey to the UAE, the place he acquired to spend time with coaches and former gamers Graeme Swann and Andrew Flintoff.

“Legends. Such good lads. You look at them and you’re reminiscing on these old thoughts of them taking poles, whacking the ball. It’s just unbelievable. To be working with them now is incredible,” Bashir stated.