Interview with Adil Reshi: Budding cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir

Adil Reshi (Courtsey: Adil Reshi)

Q. Do you ever feel that perhaps you should have been born in a place like Delhi or Mumbai rather than Kashmir which does not provide great facilities for cricketers?

AR: Well yes, sometimes when I look at the things going around in my state, I do feel terribly frustrated. When for weeks and months we have to sometimes stay forcibly enclosed in our house due to the volatile situation in the state.

And when I see the lack of exposure and facilities for cricket here, I sometimes feel that why was I born here. But then again, when I look around Kashmir with my open heart I realize that there can never be another place like this in the world. It truly is a paradise. I am lucky to have been born here and no matter what deficiencies it has I love my Kashmir.

Q. How much interest does the average Kashmiri have for cricket?

AR: Not much I would say. In fact, most youngsters here learn about cricket only after they have reached the age of say 16-18 years. Very few of them develop an interest in the game from an early age and start playing it seriously.

Otherwise cricket isn’t followed religiously here, not even close to the way it is followed everywhere else in the country. The general environment of our state is such that cricket isn’t in most of the people’s mind. Parents look down upon kids who play cricket. That is a reality.

Q. Any particular cricketer that has inspired you or the one that you follow?

AR: Imtiaz Hossain from our very state is one of the cricketers whom I look up to and have been following for quite some time. He is a senior level cricketer from our state and has guided me in my cricket a lot.

Apart from him, I have also followed Sachin Tendulkar since my childhood. I have learnt a lot just by studying his batting. Recently though, I love Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He has made the country proud and has really inspired me a lot. I wish I could get to meet him someday.

Q. What would you say has been your best cricketing moment till date?

AR: Well, I have had many great moments in my short career as a cricketer. I have scored centuries and double centuries in different state level matches. But my best memory is the one where I just scored 32 runs. It was a T20 match in 2011 between our team against Delhi in a stadium in Gurgaon.

Bowlers like Ashish Nehra and Ishant Sharma were playing for Delhi and the evening before the match, I was told by a colleague that you better buckle up since you are the opener and you will have a hard time facing these bowlers.

I was unfazed and in the match, I hit both Nehra and Ishant for a six each. I pulled both of them of the front foot and the ball landed out of the stadium. That gave me a lot of satisfaction and confidence. I believed that if I can hit these international level bowlers, I can play anyone else in the world.

Q. You have also travelled to Kolkata for a cricketing trip a couple of times. Tell us a bit about your experiences there?

AR: We got the chance to travel to Kolkata in early 2012 because of the Kashmir Premier League (a domestic T20 tournament) which was launched that year and was organized by the Army in association with the state sports department there as part of incorporating peace in the valley and promoting our sportsmen to the national level.

The winners of the trophy were to get a cash prize and a chance to visit Kolkata to play some local teams there. Luckily our team (Srinagar Sherdils) won that year and hence we got a chance to tour Kolkata.

It was an enriching experience. We got to meet senior cricketers like Arun Lal and Sourav Ganguly who gave us some great tips. We also won all the matches we played against the local club sides. That really boosted our confidence.

Plus, we enjoyed travelling in the city. The locals, too, were so warm and affectionate towards us. We loved it so much that most of the players were quite upset on leaving from there. Nevertheless, I will always remember the experience very fondly.

Q. Do you ever feel that cricketers from this part of the country have been given a raw deal? That they have been ignored?

AR: No, these things are said by people who do not play cricket. The fact is that our team hasn’t performed as per the expectations. This year we won a few matches in the Ranji Trophy, but we need to do that on a consistent basis to get ourselves recognized. Yes, we could do with a few more matches as we hardly play good and hard cricket regularly.

But that situation too is improving as now our state will be getting a few more matches to play every season. We have to keep working hard and performing to get ourselves noticed. There is no use complaining.

Q. As a young cricketer, what do you think should be done to improve the condition of cricket in Kashmir?

AR: A lot has to be and can be done by the state administration. We have to first improve the ground facilities here. There are so many grounds, but none with turf wickets. Places like Delhi, Mumbai etc have all got it and hence kids from the age of 8-9 start playing cricket. This is not the scene here. Plus coaching centers with experienced cricketers at the helm would really help a lot. That should be the primary agenda. A lot of work has to be done if we want to see cricketers from Kashmir representing the national jersey regularly.

Q. What are your future plans now? How hopeful are you to get into the national team?

AR: I can’t think of things that are not in my control. I just like to play cricket and enjoy it passionately. I am completely and solely dedicated towards it. Cricket is my life now. I will keep trying hard and keep improving myself no matter what. The rest I can leave to god. Inshallah, one day I will get to represent India, win matches for my country and bring happiness to entire Kashmir.