What could be bigger than to wear the national colours: Umran Malik's father

Abdul Rashid was so overwhelmed that he was having difficulty in expressing his thoughts eloquently It was a different Sunday evening after all Very different from what he has known in his more than five decades of existence Because its not every Sunday that there was a google alert popup of his interest while manning a fruit shop But after 5 pm Rashid saw a popup that flashed news he has dreamt about over the past two months His 21yearold son Umran Malik has been selected in the Indian team for the South Africa seriesIt wasnt a surprise as Umran after his 21 wickets and propensity to make a mockery of the speed gun radar was always in contention But Rashid still found it difficult to express his feelings of that moment which is a bit of a blurPeople were just coming in hoards to congratulate me I am now going home and would join the celebrations Just saw the news on internet What could be a bigger achievement than to wear the national colours Rashid told PTI over phone as he was rushing to his Gujjar Nagar residence in JammuHe has made all of us proud with his performances in the IPL and the way the whole country rallied behind him we as a family can only be thankful Pura desh ke support mila mere Umran ko he said in a voice from which one could gauge the emotions Rashid and his wife have had their share of sacrifices in pushing Umran to break the barriers but the father wants no creditUmran had self belief that one day he will achieve success He had faith in his skill and talent and worked hard for it It is completely his success and also Almightys blessings He worked hard and God supported him I dont deserve credit for his hard work Rashid saidUmran is the second cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to play for India after Parvez Rasool While Rasool hailed from the valley Umran is a Jammu lad coached by Randhir Singh Manhas and mentored by senior state team pacer Ram Dayal who also gave him his first spikesManhas had recalled to PTI how a 17yearold Umran had casually walked up to him and requested to allow him to bowl at his nets and the rest is historyDespite not being a big player like some of the fast bowlers Umran possesses a strong lower body having honed his skills on sandy fields near river TawiHis house is near river Tawi and the adjoining area of the river bank is primarily sandy Umran grew up running on sandy fields and playing cricket all his formative years That has led to a very strong lower body Manhas had recently told PTIYou wont find many guys who at 17 had such fabulous body structure and inbuilt strength without any gym training In fact his father also spoke about Umrans staminaHumein apne zubaan se nahi bolna chahiye lekin iska stamina dekhne layak hain ji Bachpan se pura din subaah se leke shaam tak khelta rahta thaa I dont want to brag but my son has unbelievable stamina He would play cricket from dawn to duskFor Rashid Umrans journey starts now Now I want him to work even harder and perform well for the country He needs to focus on playing for India for a long timeHe has a welltodo fruit shop at citys Shaheedi Nagar area and may be thats reason Rashid never felt that Umrans love for cricket was an impediment towards his studies as there are no guaranteesHe is our only son apart from two daughters so we me and my wife always gave him lot of love and indulgence We never had any apprehensions that playing cricket could be riskyWe have always kept Umran happy and we never made him realise that there are hardships Whatever he wished for he got it More than me my wife is his biggest supporter Rashid said For Rashid wearing the India Blue jersey is a cherished dream and he is not bothered how IPL riches and India callup could materialistically change their lives Their colony in Gujjar Nagar had erupted in joy with enthusiastic youths carrying the players posters and dancing to the drum beatsWe just want him to make the country proud with his performances Nothing else matters for us There are matches in Delhi Cuttack Visakhapatnam Rajkot and Bengaluru Would Rashid be coming to watch his son playThe day he makes his debut me and his mom will be in the stands to cheer him But please excuse me for now Umran had told me not to give interviews to media the cautious father signed offThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever