Parvez Rasool is one of the famous cricketers from the Kashmir Valley. He was the first player from the valley to earn an IPL contract and the first Kashmiri to play an international match for team India. He helped J&K cricket to reach new heights and his success is a motivation for young cricketers across the valley.
Let us take a look at Parvez Rasool’s journey in detail.
Early Life
Parvez Rasool was born on 13 February 1989 and hails from the Bijbehara area of Anantnag district. Rasool comes from a family with great cricketing background. His father and brother both played competitive cricket and played a huge role in motivating Rasool to pursue cricket as his career.
Rasool impressed in his early cricketing days thanks to his batting ability. He would also bowl occasionally and was equally handy. As he continued to wrack up numbers in local tournaments, he caught the eye of many domestic teams of J&K and earned himself a spot in the J&K Cricket Team.
Domestic Career
Parvez Rasool’s debut for J&K came against Himachal on November 18, 2008. Rasool was a major asset for J&K across all formats of the game thanks to his all-round credentials. Rasool’s performances earned him a spot in the Ranji Trophy squad of J&K.
Rasool became a household name in J&K cricket in the 2012 -13 season when he scored 594 runs including two centuries in the Ranji Trophy. He also took 33 wickets which included three five-wicket hauls.
This earned him a call-up to India A squad to play England in a warm-up match. In February 2023, Rasool was also a part of the Board President’s XI. He was the pick of the bowlers taking 7 wickets and scoring 36 runs against Australia to give his side the victory.
Rasool also became the first player from Kashmir to bag an IPL contract when Pune Warriors signed him for the 2013 season. His IPL debut came against Kolkata Knight Riders at Pune. He picked the crucial wicket of Jack Kallis and finished with figures of 1/23 in his four overs.
In the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season, Rasool was named the captain of J&K. He scored 663 runs with two tons and took 27 wickets in 9 matches. Under his leadership, J&K reached the quarterfinals of the Ranji Trophy for the first time since 2000. He was awarded the Lala Amarnath award for the best all-rounder in the 2013-14 season.
Rasool signed for Sunrisers Hyderabad for the IPL 2014 and played 3 matches.
With 38 wickets, Rasool was the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy campaign. He was then picked up for the India Red side and took 11 wickets in two matches in the 2018–19 Duleep Trophy.
In the 2018–19 Ranji Trophy, he was the highest run scorer for J&K with 684 runs and the leading wicket-taker with 35 wickets to his name.
Rasool is the first and only cricketer from J&K so far to play 100 List-A matches.
International Career
Parvez Rasool received his maiden India call-up in the Zimbabwe tour in 2013. However, Rasool failed to break into the starting XI in the series.
He was then included in the squad for the Bangladesh tour in 2014. Rasool played one ODI in the series and ended up with the figures of 1/60 in 10 overs.
He next played for the national side against England in a T20 match. Rasool picked up one wicket and conceded 32 runs in 4 overs.
Parvez Rasool has been the face of J&K cricket for over a decade. His work and dedication, both on and off the field, continue to bear fruitful results and he believes J&K Cricket is primed for bigger things in years to come.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
