Shahbaz Nadeem hopes 'world record' will take him closer to Team India berth

If there is a tragic story in Indian cricket, Jharkhand’s left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem will feature right at the top. He is only 29 but has been around in the domestic circuit for a decade and a half. There could not have been a better start to his 15th season than taking a List A world record haul of 8/10 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Nadeem’s bowling figures of 10-4-10-8 in one, non-stop spell including a hat-trick, against Rajasthan at a non-descript TI Cycles ground in the outskirts of Chennai is another notice to the national selectors that here is a left-arm spinner who ought to have been given a chance at the international stage. 

In doing so, Nadeem broke fellow Indian left-arm spinner Rahul Sanghvi’s 8/15 for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh taken in 1997-98.

Nadeem took the first eight wickets to fall and had a chance to take all-10 and emulate the likes of legendary Jim Laker of England and Anil Kumble, who have achieved the feat in Test cricket. 

However, fellow Jharkhand left-arm spinner Anukul Roy polished off the last two wickets to deny Nadeem a rare Perfect-10.

Jharkhand captain and wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan told DNA that the pitch was turning but it was not easy to bowl. 

“Obviously, Shahbaz would have loved to take all 10 but we could not tell Anukul to not take wickets. He removed the last two batsmen clean bowled. That said, Shahbaz has been bowling very well this season and hope when the national call comes, he will be ready and raring to go,” Kishan said.

Still waiting 

The Bokaro-born Nadeem may have felt hard-done by the national selectors when he was the leading wicket-taker in Ranji Trophy in two successive seasons – 56 wickets in 2016-17 and 51 in 2015-16 – but the most important call never came along. 

Nadeem is still waiting for his time to come.

He expressed hope that Thursday’s performance will take him closer to a national call. However, Nadeem, a veteran of 99 first-class matches for 375 wickets and 87 List A matches for 125 wickets, is not wasting time worrying about it.

Talking to DNA on Thursday evening after his record-breaking performance, Nadeem said: “Today’s record performance means a lot. It will boost confidence. To be starting the season in this fashion, taking 8 wickets in the first match, will give me the confidence to do well for the rest of the season."

“The main thing is to perform in each and every match. That is the criteria to be selected for the Indian team. The most important thing for me to do is to take wickets and not worry about anything else.”

Nadeem’s mantra has been to bowl wicket-to-wicket and be consistent with the correct line and length. And, that is what he has been doing for Jharkhand, the representational teams in Duleep Trophy, for India ‘A’ and his IPL team, Delhi Daredevils.

“What I have learnt by bowling in domestic circuit season after season is to bowl in the correct areas. When you hit the correct spots, it it troubles any batsman. One has to be able to bowl the consistent length and that will trouble any batsman. That is what I strive to do. My mantra is to bowl correct line and length,” said Nadeem, who has come through the ranks of India U-19.

Nadeem has rubbed shoulders with the best in business, be it in IPL or for India ‘A’. And, he has dismissed the most attacking of international batsmen, displaying his skills when he combined with Jammu & Kashmir off-spinner Parvez Rasool to restrict England in a warm-up match before the touring country’s ODI series in India in early 2017. Nadeem stopped the attacking Alex Hales and removed captain Eoin Morgan for a first-ball duck on a chilly evening at the Cricket Club of India in Mumbai.

Nadeem has had a decent last few weeks for India ‘A’, picking up 23 wickets in six first-class matches for India ‘A’ in England and India Red in Duleep Trophy at home.

But the highlight of it was being one of the handful of bowlers taken specially to bowl at the Indian team nets currently playing in Asia Cup in Dubai.

“The recent India ‘A’ 4-day matches and bowling in Dubai at the Indian team nets have helped me a lot. When you bowl to the best players of the country, it gives you an idea where to bowl and trouble batsmen and help you do well in the domestic circuit,” Nadeem revealed.

Nadeem has not given up hope. “The motivation to play for the country is always there. That goal is still there. I am willing to perform and do well in domestic circuit. Then only will you get a chance to play for the country. To be selected among those 15-16 guys, you have to be very consistent.

“I have been bowling well for the last 3-4 seasons. My confidence is very high at the moment. If I get the opportunity, I am confident of doing well there,” he said.