Javed Khan plays despite father's death

For most of the Mumbai A players, the first-class game against England XI is an opportunity to push for Ranji Trophy selection. For 22-year-old medium-pacer Javed Khan, however, it was more than that as he took the field on the first day. Javed's father, Mohammad Jayish Khan, had died the night before while undergoing an open-heart surgery.

Javed, who played two Ranji Trophy games for Mumbai in 2010-11 but has been ignored by the selectors since then, skipped his father's burial and decided to turn up for the game at the Dr DY Patil Stadium on Saturday. He had a fruitful day, dismissing Jonathan Trott and the centurion Jonny Bairstow. He was not required to bowl on Sunday morning.

"By 5 am, we advised him to play the match. He was crying the whole night and was in a state of shock," Javed's coach Raju Pathak told Indian Express. "But this match against England was a big opportunity for him. His father was keen to see him bowl against England. So he did what his father would have wanted him to do.

"Most of his teammates in the dressing room did not know that Javed had lost his father. And those who knew didn't want to talk about it because they thought it would affect Javed. It was very brave of him to come out and play today."