Remember Rashid Patel?

The former Indian left-arm seamer Rashid Patel is here. Not many know him but some of you would have seen a photograph of an enraged Rashid, armed with a stump and running after Raman Lamba during a Duleep Trophy match at Jamshedpur in the 1990-91 season. Rashid played a solitary Test and another solitary one-dayer for India in 1988 after which a leg injury cut his career short.

“Forget about Lamba yaar but do you know who first spotted Zaheer Khan?” Sorry Rashid but it must have been some nurse in the hospital where he was born no? “Arrey bhai. I went to Madras in January 1999. India were playing Pakistan in that famous Test. I went to the MRF Pace Foundation and saw this young boy.

“He was so good that I went to the ground and told India’s then coach Aunshuman Gaekwad, ‘Watch this boy. He’s going to be great.’ Gaekwad then had a look a few days later and recommended him to play for Baroda. My career was almost over then. So there was a direct left-arm replacement for me.”

And in case you didn’t know, Rashid hails from Bharuch and was born in the village adjacent to Ikhar, Munaf Patel’s hometown. He currently plays club cricket in England and is happy that fast bowlers are better looked after these days. “When I played nobody knew how to handle fast bowlers. And we all suffered from so many injures that people didn’t know how to rectify. At least now there is proper medical guidance.”

Did he watch the Nottingham Test when Zaheer won India the match? “Opened them up yaar, what a spell.” Thanks Rashid. We owe you one.

****

Mahendra Singh Dhoni jokes about an Indian team filled with wicketkeepers. “Me and Karthik are just two. Rahul has kept before, Robin started off as a keeper. Viru can keep, Gambhir also keeps. Gradually my aim is to get a team filled with wicketkeepers. Each of us can take the gloves for 10 overs each then.”