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Kolkata is a hotbed of cricketing talent. Over the years they have produced some fine players who have performed in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Among them is 27-year-old Shahbaz Ahmed, who is making his name with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in his third IPL season with the outfit.
The all-rounder showed his prowess with game-changing knocks against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR).
"Yes, this is my third season and there has been a lot of time playing at this position, so now is the time to deliver," Shahbaz said at the post-match press conference after a memorable win over RR.
"Today the situation was tougher because at one time, the momentum was towards RR, and the way DK bhai (Dinesh Karthik) shifted the momentum towards us, I felt easy to play with him at that time. And with the same momentum, we could pull off the match (in our favour)," he added.
Originally from Mewat in Haryana, Shahbaz turned out for Kolkata's first division club Tapan Memorial while pursuing a civil engineering degree from a private university. Under the tutelage of club coach Partha Pratim Chowdhury, Shahbaz is now a pillar in the Bengal Ranji Trophy side and is also slowly establishing himself as an integral part of RCB as well.
When asked about his role in the team, Shahbaz maintained that it was about playing second fiddle to Dinesh Karthik with his 45-run knock.
"My role is according to the situation, like we lost two-three wickets (early). But when DK bhai (Dinesh Karthik) came, I did not have to think much and had to play with him. The way he shifted the momentum towards us, it became easy for me to play with him.
"He (Karthik) is very experienced and he told me how to play, can take on which bowler and that was very helpful. And so I could perform well," he added.
Rise of Shahbaz at Tapan Memorial
Speaking about the success of Tapan Memorial and Shahbaz's eventual induction into the club, Partha told PTI, "We are a very small club unlike Mohun Bagan, East Bengal or Kalighat who can afford big bucks. Often we ask our senior cricketers to check out for outstation boys looking for opportunities. One of our boys Pramod Chandila (former Bengal and current Haryana player) got Shahbaz here. He was then in his third year of engineering, I think. When he had semesters, he would skip a few games," he said
When the RCB player is in the city now, he stays with Chowdhury's family in central Kolkata's Entally area.
"I have two sons and Shahbaz is my third son. He is now an integral part of my family. I think since he turned professional, he has hardly gone home. You all have seen that he has talent to own the big stage but not only field, he has a big heart off it too," Partha said.
For Bengal, he has been a specialist spinner, but Shahbaz has said that RCB wants him to play more as a middle-order batter, who can also bowl occasionally. And to prove his mettle with the bat, the all-rounder has two List A centuries for Bengal, apart from six first-class half tons.
"It depends on the situation, a lot of teams have left-handers, so the captain gives the ball to leg-spinners. I hope that in the coming time, I will get to bowl more," he said when pointed out that he hasn't yet bowled for his team.
But Partho hasn't seen any change in him even after rubbing shoulders with superstars like Virat Kohli or AB de Villiers.
"You know I had no clue that when one of our club's groundsmen (maalis as they are called in the club circuit) Niranjan passed away, Shahbaz didn't inform anyone and directly sent money to his family.
"Recently, I was surprised that he bought a car and kept it in front of my house. I told him that since you are always on the road, take it back to Mewat and give it to your parents. He said, “Partha da, you should drive to the office," the coach got a touch emotional.
"I completely give credit to his parents. He is an extremely well brought-up boy. His sister is a medical student, his grandfather was a headmaster. He has got a very balanced approach to life," Partha concluded.
