SRINAGAR: From a terror suspect to first Kashmiri to play for team India, 24-year-old Pervaiz Rasool has come a long way.
Breaking all myths that Kashmiris get sidelined during selection in the national cricket team, Rasool has become the first Kashmiri to wear the team India cap.
Parvez Rasool, along with Haryana star Mohit Sharma, has been selected for the team to play against Zimbabwe.
For Parvez the news was unexpected. “Its every cricketers dream to play for the country and my dream has finally come true today,” Parvez told Hindustan Times after hearing the news of his selection (incidently Pervaiz was on a photoshoot for the newspaper at that time).
For Parvez the selection is more than just good news.
In November 2009, Parvez caught nationwide attention for all the wrong reasons. Parvez, an under 22 cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir, was detained by Karnataka police after Chinnaswamy stadium, he was living on, was targeted in a terrorist attack.
Police said traces of explosives were found in his cricket kit.
Later, the all rounder was released after forensic investigation cleared his name.
Today, however, Parvez has put all of that behind and is sure to make a name for himself in the international cricket.
Parvez has today fulfilled dreams of thousands of cricket crazy Kashmiris by becoming the first boy from the state to be playing for team India.
Earlier, Parvez Rasool had Kashmir swooning in his first IPL match for Pune warriors.
After spending time on the sidelines for 12 matches, the all-rounder had Jacques Kallis as his first wicket, winning praise from none other than the state chief minister. An economical spell with 12 dot balls in four hours won hearts.
Parvez had shown potential in domestic cricket, “I had a good run in the domestic cricket this year. I got 33 wickets and scored 594 runs in seven matches. Besides got seven wickets for India A in a match against Australia.
The selection has got reaction from all quarters, the first one to cheer was state chief minister Omar Abdullah. “Have heard the great news about Parvez Rasool being selected to play for India against Zimbabwe. Well deserved selection. Make us proud now,” Abdullah wrote on the micro blogging site twitter.
Abdullah had earlier said that Rasool should get ahead only on the basis of his talent and not the fact that he was a `kashmiri’.
`He is a very humble boy from a village in South Kashmir and cricket has been his life. He was in India probables immediately after IPL as well. He has a great future. We are very proud of him,” said Saleem Khan, member of cricket association in Jammu and Kashmir. “He is the first boy from Kashmir to get selected in the team to play international cricket and now nobody can say Kashmiris don’t get a chance. He has come entirely on his merit,” Khan added.
A resident of Bijbehara in South Kashmir, Parvez Rasool comes from a modest background but had always dreamt big. “I was waiting for my chance and knew I would make a mark,” Parvez said after playing his IPL game.
“Though the chance came in late but I never missed on practice,” he had added.
Meanwhile, his hometown bijbehara wore a festive look on Friday. Parvez Rasool household had scores of visitors congratulating the family. The family’s phone is constantly ringing. For Ghulam Rasool, a retired government employee, it is a proud moment to see his son standing with the men in blue.
He said, “I have been asking everybody to pray for my son. I wanted to see him with the men in blue.”
For Parvez Rasool, the selection has come a little late as his icon Sachin Tendulkar has retired from both twenty20 as well as one day cricket. “I did meet him during IPL but hope to see more of him and benefit from his expertise,” he added. Toufiq Rashid in Hindustan Times
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