IND v SA 2019: Elder brother's sacrifice made Shahbaz Nadeem’s Test debut possible, reveals his father

Nadeem picked his maiden Test wicket via stumping.

Shahbaz Nadeem | AFP

Indian leg-spinner Shahbaz Nadeem on Saturday (October 19) made his Test debut in the ongoing Ranchi Test against South Africa and it was certainly the proud moment for the entire family especially his elder brother Assad Iqbal who sacrificed for his cricketing career to let Nadeem carry on.

However, Iqbal could not witness the proud moment when Nadeem was handed a debut Test cap by India captain Virat Kohli at the JSCA International Stadium on Saturday, as he was at a private hospital in Delhi, where his wife Fariha was undergoing minor surgery for cyst removal.

Shahbaz’s father Javed Mahmood, a deputy superintendent of police then posted in Dhanbad, revealed that he was not in favor of his sons taking cricket as profession and even he told them that only one of them could pursue playing, as he didn’t want both to risk their lives by chasing something which didn’t guarantee a secure future.

Read Also: Vikram Rathour opens up about Shahbaz Nadeem’s selection in Ranchi Test

Mahmood, who is based in Muzaffarpur in Bihar, further added it was Assad who convinced him to let Nadeem play cricket as his elder son decided to leave the game for his brother and he later completed engineering and is working with a reputed company in Delhi.

He told the media, “Back then, the decision was right. I even threw his bat out of the house once in Bokaro. Assad was already captain of the Bihar under-15 side by then. But he convinced me to let Shahbaz play, as he has decided to opt-out.”

Unfortunately, neither his brother nor father could watch Nadeem being handed debut cap by Kohli in Ranchi and even there is no plans of his parents to watch his play in Ranchi, as they are supposed to leave for Chandigarh on October 23 to visit their daughter and undergo a routine medical check-up.

He added, “We booked tickets in advance. Assad is busy attending his wife. Let’s see what happens.”

Meanwhile, SA Rahman, former secretary of the Dhanbad Cricket Association and owner of a cricket club in the city, spotted the talent in Nadeem. He added, “I saw him bowling in the nets and was impressed. I urged his father to let him play cricket. He agreed.”

On the other hand, the proud father revealed that Nadeem had to travel 400 km via road to join the national squad in Ranchi as he was called up by the BCCI on Friday for the match against South Africa.

Mahmood signed off by saying, “He called in the afternoon and informed us about his selection. He also requested me to pray to the almighty so that he can find a place in the XI. It seems my prayers were answered. He left Kolkata at around 4 pm and reached Ranchi past 11 pm after a nearly 400km road journey. It must have been tiring but representing your country and realizing your long-cherished dream matters more.”

(With New Indian Express Inputs)

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 21 Oct, 2019

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