Proudest day, says Rasool

Parveez Rasool, who became the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to play in the Indian Premier League, has called his debut for Pune Warriors the “proudest day” of his life even though the team ended up on the losing side.

“This is the proudest day of my life. And the whole of Jammu and Kashmir was watching the match and I am proud of that. I feel really great. First of all, thanks to Almighty Allah, I have made it this far. It feels really nice to get an opportunity in the IPL and to be able to perform at this level,” Rasool said.

After spending his time on the bench for 12 matches, the 24-year-old batting all-rounder finally found a place in the playing XI of Warriors ahead of their match against Kolkata Knight Riders here on Thursday night. 

Rasool replaced leg-spinner Rahul Sharma to earn his maiden IPL cap.

He dedicated his debut performance against KKR, an economical four-over spell for 23 runs and the prized scalp of Jacques Kallis, to the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir and his fans across India.

“I would like to dedicate my debut performance to the entire state of Jammu & Kashmir and all the well-wishers all around India,” he said.

“Jacques Kallis is definitely a legend; the best all-rounder in cricket. So, it felt really good to get his wicket. Kallis’ wicket was something truly special for me,” he added.

The off-spinner said he was nervous initially but Yuvraj Singh helped soothe his fraying nerves. “Yes, the first couple of balls I was nervous. Then Yuvi Paaji (Yuvraj Singh) came over to me and helped me settle down. I came to know this morning (Thursday) and I was really happy and excited at the prospect of playing. I was training real hard for whenever I would get the chance to play for PW. And I wanted to make sure I grabbed that chance with both hands,” Rasool said.

Rasool said his ultimate target is to don the national colours one day. “Now my goal is to ensure I play well in every match. I want to do well for the team and for myself. I hope I play well enough to play for India some day,’’ he added.