Sporting careers cut short by deaths are heart-rending. Four days ago, cricket in India took a tragic turn when Nayeem Bhat, a promising player from Jammu & Kashmir, fell prey to the uncertainties of life. The 21-year-old, tipped as an emerging talent from the State, was killed in a police firing at Handwara.
The State U-19 player's dream of making it big in the game remains an unfulfilled dream now and Parvez Rasool, an inspiration to many budding cricketers in the troubled valley, called the incident unfortunate.
Rasool's season with his new team in the Indian Premier League, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, began on a positive note. RCB thumped Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday and Rasool's celebrations following the win was cut-short, when he received the news of Nayeem's death.
"In the middle of our celebrations after the first match, I received the news. It was a setback for me and I was disappointed," recalled Rasool.
Nayeem, a member of the Kashmir Gymkhana club, made his first mark towards realising his bigger dreams when he was picked in the national U-19 camp. The all-rounder was a prominent member of the club and in his encouraging stint with the sport, Nayeem idolised Indian batting sensation Virat Kohli and Rasool. Many believed Nayeem was destined for bigger things in cricket and Rasool felt the youngster had a long way to go.
"He was a very promising player. I have some pictures with him in Facebook and he considered me as his idol. It is indeed an unfortunate incident," Rasool expressed. Nayeem's incident brought back the worrying state of affairs in Kashmir. With talented cricketers looking for opportunities outside the State, Rasool stressed that there is a lot to be done, as far as the infrastructure of the game was concerned.
"The set up back home is very difficult for a player. Our cricket association is not being able to do a lot for many young players. Whoever aspires to make it big in cricket has to move out and play in different states like Delhi, Mumbai and Karnataka where they get to play quality matches," he said.
Rasool believed that there is no dearth of talent in the valley. "There are lot of expectations from me back home. I do feel the pressure but at the same time it is also very motivating to do well. Since the time I have started playing in the IPL it has been a very good challenge for me. I make sure I keep performing well so that the youngsters in my valley can look up to me as an inspiration. I am aware of the increasing talent in J&K and I am looking forward for many more players to play in the IPL."
The State U-19 player's dream of making it big in the game remains an unfulfilled dream now and Parvez Rasool, an inspiration to many budding cricketers in the troubled valley, called the incident unfortunate.
Rasool's season with his new team in the Indian Premier League, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, began on a positive note. RCB thumped Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday and Rasool's celebrations following the win was cut-short, when he received the news of Nayeem's death.
"In the middle of our celebrations after the first match, I received the news. It was a setback for me and I was disappointed," recalled Rasool.
Nayeem, a member of the Kashmir Gymkhana club, made his first mark towards realising his bigger dreams when he was picked in the national U-19 camp. The all-rounder was a prominent member of the club and in his encouraging stint with the sport, Nayeem idolised Indian batting sensation Virat Kohli and Rasool. Many believed Nayeem was destined for bigger things in cricket and Rasool felt the youngster had a long way to go.
"He was a very promising player. I have some pictures with him in Facebook and he considered me as his idol. It is indeed an unfortunate incident," Rasool expressed. Nayeem's incident brought back the worrying state of affairs in Kashmir. With talented cricketers looking for opportunities outside the State, Rasool stressed that there is a lot to be done, as far as the infrastructure of the game was concerned.
"The set up back home is very difficult for a player. Our cricket association is not being able to do a lot for many young players. Whoever aspires to make it big in cricket has to move out and play in different states like Delhi, Mumbai and Karnataka where they get to play quality matches," he said.
Rasool believed that there is no dearth of talent in the valley. "There are lot of expectations from me back home. I do feel the pressure but at the same time it is also very motivating to do well. Since the time I have started playing in the IPL it has been a very good challenge for me. I make sure I keep performing well so that the youngsters in my valley can look up to me as an inspiration. I am aware of the increasing talent in J&K and I am looking forward for many more players to play in the IPL."