"Sachin (Tendulkar) and Robin Singh especially. They've helped me a lot, and I'd definitely like to thank them for that," Rayudu said. "I always had the belief that if I could get things right and I could get my mind right I could make it into the team one day, and I'm really happy that I got my chance today," he added.

The 27-year-old Rayudu scored an 84-ball 63, forging a crucial 159-run partnership with skipper Virat Kohli that guided India to victory in the opening ODI against Zimbabwe yesterday. "It feels marvellous. It's been pretty emotional," he said.