Parvez Rasool was on his way to Jalandhar for some personal work when he got a call from the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association, telling him the BCCI was trying to locate him.
Parvez Rasool was on his way to Jalandhar for some personal work when he got a call from the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association, telling him the BCCI was trying to locate him. Why, he wondered. And when the JKCA official informed the 23-year-old he’d been picked for the India ‘A’ side that will play a one-dayer against England in New Delhi on January 6, he was simply stunned.
“With my performance this season I was expecting a call, but not so soon,” said the all-rounder, who became the first cricketer from J&K team to be selected in an Indian team to play an international side. For the record, J&K players like Abid Nabi, Surendra Singh and Abdul Qayoom have played for the national ‘A’ and ‘B’ sides. “It feels great to be picked for your country. I’ve always aspired for an India cap and my dream is not far,” he told DNA.
Rasool has been consistent with both bat and ball in this Ranji Trophy season. He has scored 594 runs with two centuries and picked up 33 wickets from eight matches. “It has been a great season for me. Our coach, Bishan Singh Bedi, has been really helpful. He has been a great guide and also helped me become a better off-spinner,” Rasool added.
Rasool’s journey has been anything but easy. In 2009, he was in Bangalore for an U-22 CK Nayudu Trophy match. One thing led to another and he was detained by the police for questioning in connection with the suspected presence of explosives at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during a Champions League Twenty20 tie. However, his name was cleared. “I don’t want to talk about it. It was a bad dream.”
INDIA ‘A’ SQUAD: Abhinav Mukund (C), M Vijay, Robin Bist, Kedar Jadhav, Ashok Menaria, Rohit Motwani (WK), Jalaj Saxena, Akshay Darekar, Ishwar Pandey, Sreesanth, Rishi Dhawan, Paras Dogra, Mohit Sharma, Parvez Rasool
r_taus@dnaindia.net
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