Parvez Rasool, the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), heaped praises on Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) new find Umran Malik, who impressed cricket pundits with his raw pace and accuracy. Rasool credited former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan for the rise in cricket in the state and for his role in preparing players like Abdul Samad and Umran Malik. In an exclusive conversation with Sports Tak, Rasool talked at length about the new bowling sensation and the growth of Jammu and Kashmir cricket.
“This is a proud moment for all of us here in Jammu and Kashmir. The way he made the debut, he came and the way he touched 150s, consistently he was bowling 140+. That was amazing and bowling against international cricketers. He bowled on a wicket that was slow. It’s very important for his career and will motivate the cricketers of Jammu and Kashmir. Irfan bhai’s role has been very important. The way he changed the mindset, before him it was Bishen Singh Bedi Sir who changed the whole mindset of J&K cricket. Irfan bhai has worked a lot with the kids like Abdul Samad, Rasik Salam, Mujtaba Yusuf and one of the upcoming fast bowlers, Umran Malik. So, somebody like an Irfan Pathan with his international experience definitely helped us. As a player I also got to learn a lot from him. So, I think when professional players like him get associated with a small team then it definitely helps,” the 32-year-old said
Rasool is confident of a bright future for Malik predicting him to be one of the best fast bowlers in the future.
“Umran was a net bowler there. In the future, Umran will be one of the best fast bowlers. We can see a bright future for Umran in the near future and we wish him that he works hard,” Rasool lauded the express pacer.
Rasool was the pioneer, who paved the way for cricketers in the valley. He made his IPL debut for now-defunct Pune Warriors in the sixth season of IPL and took the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) star all-rounder Jacques Kallis. He has featured in four IPL seasons and played for the Hyderabad franchise as well.
“I was lucky. There is a process. You have IPL these days and if you do well, if you are bowling fast or play a good innings then you can be picked for India. My journey went through a process like playing in the Ranji Trophy and then I kept getting the chances. I was lucky to play in the IPL and play for India. So, hope players like Abdul Samad, Umran Malik and there is a player called Yudhvir Singh from Mumbai Indians, I hope he also gets the chance. There are a lot of talent here, but needs opportunities.”
Parvez Rasool was the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to play for India (1 ODI vs Bangladesh in 2014 and 1 T20I vs England in 2017) and is hopeful to see Abdul Samad and Umran Malik don the blue Indian jersey in the near future.
“Definitely, I want Abdul Samad, Umran Malik and others represent the country. When I played then it was kind of a motivation for the kids. The most important thing is that you perform and when the kids are selected then it gives them motivation,” the 32-year-old said.
Revealing about his conversation with Malik, Parvez said, “I messaged him and I congratulated him and told him that you made us proud. He thanked me. It’s a big thing when a player comes from a small city and performs at such a level and everyone is talking about you and it feels good when legends of the cricket talk about. So, it’s a big thing.”
