Rasool and the burden of being the first from J&K

Parvez Rasool's selection to the Indian team has put him on the media spotlight and it's not just due to his cricket, but also his state of origin. Rasool will have the burden of the recent history of Jammu & Kashmir on his shoulders the moment he takes to the field, writes Ajaz Ashraf in the Firstpost.

Indeed, the Kashmiri identity of Rasool gives him a special resonance, apart from his cricket abilities, vouched for by no less than the great Bishan Singh Bedi. Rasool is no Kashmiri migrant who settled outside the Valley. He grew there, acquired and honed his skills even as the bullets flew around and bombs exploded. The state's cricket infrastructure, from all accounts, is moribund. No doubt, for an individual to overcome these terrifying odds and sneak into the Indian cricket team is laudable. Yet, ironically, his feat holds out contradictory meanings for the people residing in the Valley and those outside it.