After ending the last two Ranji seasons with a total 107 wickets, Jharkhand's left-arm spinner Shahbaz is now a go-to player for India 'A'; credits dad for bowling to him after duty hours
Shahbaz Nadeem is proving to be a wicket-taking machine on India's domestic circuit. The Jharkhand's left-arm spinner claimed 14 wickets in two matches against New Zealand 'A' during the just-concluded series which India 'A' won 2-0 at Vijaywada. Nadeem has been the top wicket-taker in the last couple of seasons of the Ranji Trophy with 51 and 56 respectively.
In the final match against New Zealand 'A' which concluded on Tuesday, Nadeem (4-41) and leg-spinner Karn Sharma (5-78) wreaked havoc to win the match by an innings and 26 runs and clinch the series 2-0. In the first innings, Nadeem finished with 2-41. The Jharkhand left-arm spinner had claimed four wickets each in both innings of the first unofficial Test. Earlier, he was amongst the top 10 wicket-takers in the Vijay Hazare one-day tournament with 15 in eight matches.
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Rest of India's left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem bowls against Ranji Trophy champs Gujarat during Irani Cup at Brabourne Stadium in January. He claimed 4-64 in the second innings. Pic/Suresh Karkera
Nadeem lauds family efforts
On-a-roll Nadeem credited the contribution of his father Javed Mehmood and elder brother Ashhad Iqbal in his stupendous domestic success. "They both have sacrificed a lot for my cricket. My brother quit the game for a job and my father (former district Superintendent of Police) took pains to make cement wickets at his police quarters in Dhanbad and Buckaroo where we lived when I was a kid. My father would bowl to me under lights after returning from work," Nadeem told mid-day yesterday. His performance against the Kiwis sent yet another reminder to the national selectors of his prowess.
Though Nadeem has enjoyed success at home, he rates his performance in South Africa against their 'A' team highly. He claimed 11 wickets in two unofficial Tests.
"Getting picked for the South Africa tour was the best opportunity for me to prove my skills on overseas pitches. I think I did extremely well there," he said.
'I compete with myself'
However, Nadeem is well aware of the intense competition for spin spots in the Indian team with Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel doing well in the absence of main spinners R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
"I compete with myself. I want to improve every day. I will have to perform even better than the current left-arm spinners in the team now. It's healthy competition and it will only help me improve my game further," said Nadeem. "When you play for India 'A' your every performance will count. I think I am closer to my dream and I hope I realise it soon," he concluded.
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