Mumbai: Having made a “difficult choice,” Bengal’s Avishek Jhunjhunwala is looking forward to two things: Playing with/against idol Brian Lara and, at some stage, getting the chance to wear the India cap.

“It wasn’t easy... I had to make a difficult choice... I did so only after weighing the pros and cons... Didn’t act in a hurry,” Jhunjhunwala, among the most promising of players to join the Indian Cricket League (ICL), told The Telegraph on Monday evening.

Remarkably calm for somebody who’d taken such a big decision, Jhunjhunwala added: “I wasn’t sure whether I’d get to play for India and, if I didn’t, there’d be no international exposure of any kind... Now, I can play with or against my idol — Lara... It’ll be a big thing for me.

“Also, and this is important, I’ve now got financial security... It’s required by a professional sportsman... At some stage, though, I hope I’ll still be considered for India... That the doors aren’t shut for ever...”

A middle-order bat, Jhunjhunwala was one of the stars of Bengal’s Ranji final-making effort last season. Then, last month, the national selectors named him among the 30 probables for the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 meet in South Africa.

“From what I’ve seen, he’s got confidence and I’m sure he’s going to prove his worth,” is what ICL chairman Kapil Dev had to say of Jhunjhunwala.