At a time when the media, especially the electronic one, reports the bad news 24x7, no news is good news, and the media focuses on the likes of some political leaders who practice alienation while preaching inclusiveness. Relegated to the back pages of the morning newspapers are reports like the one that tells us that the Board President's XI bundled the touring Australian men's team out for 241 on February 12, thanks to a superlative spell of classical off-spin bowling by young all-rounder Parveez Rasool of Jammu & Kashmir. Just four years ago, Rasool hit the headlines on the front page of national newspapers, which reported that the then-19-year-old had been detained by the Bangalore Police on suspicion of militancy. Those suspicions were found to be baseless.
At a time when Indian off-spin bowling has been shown up by the touring England side that won its first Test series in India in 28 years last December, Rasool's spirited display is a morale booster in more ways than one. After taking the wickets of Aussie batsmen like Ed Cowan, Matthew Wade and the talented all-rounder Steve Smith, Rasool attributed his success to the guidance of India's legendary left-arm spinner Bishan Singh Bedi, now officiating as J&K's coach. "Flight is my strength. He (Bedi) always advised me to not be afraid of tossing the ball up. The dismissals of Smith and Wade brought me a lot of joy as I was able to deceive them in flight. Hopefully, I can do well and maybe play for India some day." Rasool's performance impressed the Australians too. The Aussie opening batsman Ed Cowan said, "He bowled with good control, got some good turn. He held it up nicely, he was excellent." The Parveez Rasool story may be just beginning. The boy from Anantnag, Kashmir, can do India proud.
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