Aged 9, Musheer Khan takes 9/9

On Saturday, nine-year-old wonderkid Musheer Khan stepped out of his Kurla home with a simple goal: play well. The little boy did just that. In fact, he came tantalisingly close to achieving a Perfect 10.

The left-arm spinner took nine wickets in an innings (including a hat-trick) and 12 in the match as Dadar Union beat Virar in a two-day match of the Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA) Summer Vacation Under-14 camp (selection trials) at Young Mohammedan Sports Club, Azad Maidan.

Not just that, Musheer also played an important knock of 48, off 152 balls, to help his team enter the semifinal.

Musheer was born eight years after Anil Kumble stunned Pakistan with that mind-boggling 10/74 in New Delhi in 1999. "I have never seen that video. In fact, I have heard about it once," said Musheer, who was born in 2007.

"I had a chance to pick up 10 wickets, but the ball fell short of the fielder. My teammate managed to pick up that wicket from the other end. However, I am satisfied with what I have got," he added.

A nine-wicket haul would have left any other youngster thrilled, but for Musheer it was just another day in the office. "I am happy. I just focus on bowling good line and length," said Musheer.

Dadar Union coach Gopal Pardeshi was happy with Musheer's performance. "It is a big achievement. His spell of 14-9-9-9 was impressive. He also did well with the bat. It's because of him that we have entered the semis. He was down with an injured hand, but he has now made a great comeback," said Pardeshi.

The other day, Musheer met his idol Daniel Vettori at the Wankhede. That Musheer's brother, Sarfaraz Khan, plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore only helped. "We did not have a long chat but he asked me what I do. I am very happy to meet him," said an elated Musheer.

Brief Scores: Dadar Union 239 all out in 71.5 overs (Musheer Khan 48, Shree Om 44; Durvesh 4/52, Tushar Singh 3/26) beat Virar 34 all out (Musheer Khan 9/9) & 114/7 (Aditya Varang 33*; Musheer Khan 3/43) on first innings