Shaik Rasheed of India plays a shot as Tobias Snell of Australia keeps during the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League Semi Final 2 match between India and Australia. (Photo: ICC)
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The cricket academy where Shaik Rasheed–the vice-captain of India’s U-19 team at the World Cup–trained was in Mangalgiri, some 50 kilometres from his home in Guntur. But Rasheed, who scored a valuable 94 in the semifinal against Australia, rarely missed a day’s practice because his father, Shaik Balisha, used to ferry him the entire distance on his scooter. Every single day.
Rain or shine, heat or dust—Guntur can be scorching hot in summers—nothing mattered to him.
He lost jobs, could hardly sustain at times, moved cities, but kept the cricket dream burning in his son’s heart. He was a recovery agent for banks in Hyderabad when his friend saw Rasheed batting during a match at the academy (Prasad Cricket Academy). “He called me up and said he is gifted and I must encourage him. Unfortunately, we were not financially sound enough to support his training and academics, besides paying rent. So in 2012, I moved back to Guntur,” recalls Balisha.
But then kicked in more travails. Balisha had no clue what to do next. The fees of local academies were too expensive to enrol him. But driven to the extremes, he found solutions. He started taking Rasheed to a cricket ground six kilometres from his home and started giving him throw-downs. A few months later, he came to know about ACA’s residential cricket academy and took Rasheed for a trial.
Rasheed, though young, grasped the extent his father went to preserve his cricketing dream. “He never asked me to take him to a movie or a park or a toy or gadget. He was always into cricket, and I did what I could to provide him with everything,’ he adds.
Coach, the saviour
The stars then began to align. Rasheed left academy coach J Krishna Rao awestruck by his technique and composure. “He must have been 7 or 8 and was facing our U-16 bowlers quite comfortably. He looked so composed. Deep down I knew that he has talent and must nurture him delicately,” the coach says.
All went well until his father lost his job at a local automobile firm, as he began arriving late for work because of the 50km trips. The coach offered a solution. “His father was a bit hesitant, but I managed to convince him to let Rasheed stay at the academy,” says Rao, who is also the coach of wicketkeeper KS Bharat.
Two years on, Rasheed was selected for the Andhra U-14 team. Then in the Vijay Merchant Trophy in the 2018-19 season, he amassed 674 runs at 168.50, including three centuries to file a memo of his blossoming potential. The dream run went on. In the Vinoo Mankad Trophy (2020-21), he emerged the second-highest run-getter, mustering 376 runs in six matches. Picked for the U-19 Asia Cup in December last year, he scored an unbeaten 90 off 103 balls against Bangladesh in the semi-final.
The stage was nicely set for the U-19 World Cup when he was tested positive after the first game against South Africa. A disappointed Rasheed rung up his coach Krishna Rao and broke down. “He had all the Covid symptoms. He had a high fever and severe body-ache. He called him around 2 AM and started crying, ‘sir, I think my World Cup is over. I might not recover for the knockouts,” says Rao.
But the coach allayed his fears. To kill the festering negativity, he distracted him. “We talked about his dismissal against South Africa. He had scored 31 and was well set before getting out. After talking about cricket for 30 minutes, I sensed new energy in him. We talked about things that we can control. I instructed him to follow the protocols, focus on his recovery, and keep negativity aside,” the coach recounts.
As luck would have it, he recovered right before the quarterfinals against Bangladesh. He was rusty in his 26-run knock, but it didn’t matter. He was back on the field. And when it mattered, in the semifinals against Australia, he showed why he is being rated so highly. Reeling at 37 for 2 in 13 overs, Rasheed showed maturity that belied his age to compose a composed 94. He and captain Yash Dhull (110) put on the second biggest partnership of the tournament, adding 204 runs for the third wicket.
Rasheed (right) and captain Yash Dhull put on the second biggest partnership of the tournament, adding 204 runs for the third wicket. (Photo: ICC)
Rasheed played a perfect foil for Dhull, who was scoring freely. Rasheed completed his half-century in 78 balls, and once he reached the milestone, he switched to the fourth gear and started matching Dhull shot for shot. Be it the punch through cover off William Salzmann or a straight-six late in his innings off Jack Nisbet, which took him into the 90s, he demonstrated his class.
Later, his captain duly appreciated his deputy. “Rasheed is mentally very strong. We were in the bubble together after we were tested Covid-19 positive. He was always mentally prepared,” he said.
Perfect No 3
Back home, Rao is pleased with his ward’s knock and calls him an ideal No. 3 batter. “If I am not wrong, he has always batted at No 3, and I don’t know the reason. He sets small targets in his mind, be it T20, 50 overs of four-day cricket. He can grind like a Pujara (Cheteshwar) and can smash like a Sehwag (Virender). He has got all the shots. Rasheed loves playing through the innings. In the ODI’s, his target is to stay at the crease till the 40th over and after that, he will go berserk,” says Rao.
Rasheed completed his half-century in 78 balls, and once he reached the milestone, he switched to the fourth gear and started matching Dhull shot for shot. (Twitter/BCCI)
It’s his ward’s intelligence that endears him most. “The kid is intelligent and yesterday’s knock was a perfect example of his game awareness. He loves rotating the strike. He could have scored the century too, but he lost focus after the unfortunate dismissal of Dhull,” he chimes in.
“As a coach, I am glad that he is enjoying his game and is back at his best,” he adds.
At his home, Rasheed’s family can’t wait for the final and the day he returns home. “We’ve not met him for the past three months. We were worried when he was tested positive. I am glad everything is in the past now, and hopefully, he will return home with the cup,” says Balisha. And then the father could bask in satisfaction that all the hardship he had endured was worth it.
With inputs from Sreenivas Janyala
