K S Bharat, who will be playing his maiden Test in his home town, Visakhapatnam, was felicitated by the Andhra Cricket Association ahead of the second Test in the city on Friday.
'There'll be lots of noises if you're playing for the country, there'll be good and bad noises, but you have to be in the present moment,' Bharat said at the pre-match press conference on Thursday evening.
'For me it's a proud moment playing in front of my home crowd. But if you look at the bigger picture there is a Test match to be played and our whole focus is on that. Yes, it is an overwhelming feeling but you have to let it sink in and focus on the Test game,' he added.
Bharat has represented India in six Tests, scoring 198 runs at an average of 22 and taken 16 catches and affected 1 stumping.