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It is a well-known fact that Pakistan and India are not the best of mates when it comes to cricket.
So it is perhaps rare to see a young and upcoming Pakistan player idolise and Indian leg spinner. And that is quite heartening and maybe, just maybe, things will only get better and better from now on.
Shadab Khan may have played plenty of cricket on the streets of Rawalpindi and Mianwali in Pakistan and is still taking those baby steps when it comes to serious cricket.
An emerging talent, the 18-year-old has represented Pakistan Under-19s and Pakistan 'A,' and impressed, so much so that, he has been picked by the Islamabad United franchise in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL).
And although he didn't get any wickets in the first three matches, he bowled economical spells. Wickets did come finally, against Peshawar Zalmi, where he took two for 26, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday night.
Those two wickets were big ones too, those of Pakistan's Kamran Akmal and England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan.
Shadab revealed that like most spinners, he looks up to the Australian wizard Shane Warne but ranks Indian leg spinner Amit Mishra as his idol.
"First it was Shane Warne but now it is Amit Mishra," said Shadab.
Meanwhile, he was thrilled to get the opportunity to play with senior players like Pakistan Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Sami as well as foreign players like Brad Haddin, Shane Watson and Dwayne Smith, as part of the Islamabad United franchise.
"First of all, I would like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to play with such senior players as part of Islamabad United," Shadab said.
And he said that for a youngster, the PSL was the ideal platform to make a mark and get into the eyes of the selectors.
"For a youngster, the PSL is important because if we perform really well, we would be on the selectors' radar," he said.
Shadab also said that it was a learning curve, especially rubbing shoulders with top quality international cricketers.
"I feel really good playing with Islamabad United because there are some top foreign players as well. And I've been trying to learn from them," said Shadab.
The youngster said that advice from the coach Dean Jones and captain Misbah-ul-Haq has helped him a lot, especially when it came to his bowling action.
"After the first match, Dean Jones and Misbah bhai spoke to me and told me that I was going wide of the crease a little bit. So, they asked me to try and be a little bit inside," he said.
james@khaleejtimes.com
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