New Delhi: Abid Mushtaq has never been one to complain about what he did not have. Growing up in Bhaderwah, the Jammu & Kashmir allrounder had little access to elite cricket infrastructure but that did not stop him.
On Wednesday, the left-arm spinner turned the ball on a tricky surface in Bengaluru and spun North Zone into the Duleep Trophy semi-final, taking nine wickets in the 52-run win over West Zone.
Abid was the architect of the victory, returning figures of 5/39 in the first innings and 4/60 in the second. His player of the match performance included the wickets of Prithvi Shaw and Ruturaj Gaikwad in the first innings, before he returned to dismantle West Zone’s lower order in the second innings.
“My absolute favourite wicket was Shaw’s. It was a dream ball for a left-arm spinner. I was trying to get the ball to hold a little bit and hit the stumps, and thanks to God, it happened. It felt really good,” Abid, 29, told HT.
For Abid, though, the performance was less about a sudden breakthrough and more the result of years spent building himself up without many basic amenities.
“I belong to Bhaderwah, in Doda under the Jammu Province. It’s almost 200 km from Jammu, so the facilities were few.”
His journey changed when his childhood coach Shafqat Khakan Malik spotted him and saw something in the young spinner. “He made me believe in myself, and whatever practice I did, I did it with him. He is the one who guided me,” Abid said.
Jadeja as role model
“There wasn’t much infrastructure in Bhaderwah. We only played on matting wicket,” he said. Later, when he broke into Ranji Trophy cricket Abid started practicing on concrete tracks.
Abid’s bowling philosophy is built around simplicity and relentless consistency, instead of extravagant variations. It makes sense that his template is inspired by one of India’s most reliable left-arm spinners.
“My role model is Ravindra Jadeja. On Indian wickets, a flatter, round-arm trajectory works better, so I follow him. He bowls at around 90 kph, so I also try to bowl around the same speed and I feel it suits these pitches the best.
“I have a lot of confidence in my bowling and the hard work I am putting in. Cricket has changed a bit. Everyone looks at strike rates but my mindset is to stay as consistent as possible with my line and length in that same area and stick to it. That obviously puts pressure on the batter, and then there are higher chances of taking wickets.”
In 46 First-class games, Abid has 143 wickets at an average of 21.44 and 1,506 runs with one century and six fifties.
Still, the Duleep Trophy opportunity arrived almost unexpectedly. Abid was preparing for the Irani Cup – J & K are Ranji champions – rather than expecting to make the North Zone squad. Once selected, however, he quickly settled into his role as the side’s genuine left-arm spinner. It helped that he had the familiarity of J&K coach Ajay Sharma to depend on in the North Zone team too, which helped at least five of his state teammates to ease in.
Interacting with the likes of Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull and Arshdeep Singh has also been a pleasant experience. “They suggest things. They say ‘Brother, you can do this, that was good… you can try this, you’re doing well.’ It feels like a friendship. It doesn’t feel like I’m playing the Duleep Trophy for the first time at all.”
Although bowling remains his biggest strength, Abid considers himself an allrounder and believes he has more to offer with the bat, though opportunities have often been limited. Last season, he scored 177 against Himachal Pradesh while batting at No.9, an innings he says reaffirmed his belief that he can bat up the order too.
His next assignment will be even more personal. The Irani Cup in October is set to be played at the Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar, giving Abid the chance to perform in his state, in front of his people.
