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        He has been scoring runs in tons in domestic cricket and continued the good form when he got the opportunity to test his mettle against international sides.

        Tamilnadu batsman S Badrinath's consistency has landed him a berth in the Indian side for the fifth one-day international against Australia and he will be more than pleased with that.

        The Chennai batsman was expectedly happy at his inclusion in the Indian squad, saying the call-up was a dream come true for him.

        'Playing for India has been a childhood dream for me and I am delighted that I am close to achieving that now,' Badrinath said.

        The 27-year-old Tamilnadu cricketer was playing for Rest of India against Mumbai in the Irani Trophy match in Rajkot when he got the news.

        Badrinath has been the mainstay of the Tamilnadu side's batting for the last two seasons and has also led the side. Apart from this, he is an excellent fielder.

        The right-hander had been on the verge of breaking into the national team for quite some time and his name had cropped up at several selection meetings.

        He also came up with a double century against South Africa 'A' in the unofficial Test in Delhi last month.

        He has been in top form recently scoring heavily for India 'A' against Zimbabwe and Kenya.

        The stylish Badrinath got his opportunity after opener Gautam Gambhir, sustained an injury during the practice session on the eve of the fourth one-dayer against Australia and is expected to be out of action for two weeks.

        Badrinath's versatility should stand him in good stead. The Tamilnadu skipper has shown that he has it in him to shine in both the long and short forms.

        It must be said that the right-hander has over the years kept performing unmindful of the selectors' not picking him for the national side.

        As it is always said hard work never goes waste and in the case of Badrinath it is more so.

        The hard-working cricketer has worked on improving his game in the past few seasons and has impressed with his batting and bowling too. Playing for India 'A' against South Africa 'A' in a limited overs match recently, he came up with an all-round performance in a winning cause.

        Having won a place in the national squad is part of a dream and the next would be to earn a berth in the playing XI.

        One only hopes Badrinath gets a decent run to show his mettle.