Mumbai: “I don’t watch much cricket on television, I don’t even see my own matches. I have been like this since childhood. I don’t know why I am like this, I just don’t like it probably,” says Mustafizur Rahman — the 20-year-old pace sensation from Bangladesh — who is playing his first season in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
He is soft-spoken, keeps a low profile and doesn’t let the spotlight and glamour affect his poetry with the cherry unlike many other fast bowlers. Rahman has bagged seven wickets in five outings for the Hyderabad franchise which include a remarkable spell against Kings XI Punjab (2/9 in four overs).
“What is attention? How does one handle that? I just do my bit and don’t look into anything else. I am glad I am able to provide happiness to people through my bowling but most importantly, the fact that I am able to do something for my country makes me feel good. I don’t roam about or eat out much when on tour, for me — it is only the stadium and the team hotel,” says Rahman, who took a fifer in his ODI debut against India last year.
He is also the first cricketer to win man of the match awards on both Test (against South Africa) and ODI debut.
He is special, the youngest in the Hyderabad team and hence, treated with care. Rahman isn’t well-versed in English, leave alone Hindi, but he still keeps up.
“Olpo sholpo ja pari, tai diya choltese, bhaloi lagse (whatever little I can speak, I am managing with it, I am liking it). It feels great to be the only Bengali among players from different cultures and countries. When IPL started in 2008, I had not even started my cricket. I started in 2010,” he says with a smile.
Rahman is also the youngest among his siblings. He owes a lot to his third brother (among six), Mokhlesur, for helping him out in the initial phase of his career.
“We are a middle class family, my brother luckily had a bike. He used to drop and pick me up from my training ground, 40 kilometres away from our house in Shatkhira,” adds Rahman.
He is a fan of Mohammad Amir but isn’t desperate to meet his heroes.
“I am sure I will meet them in the course of my career. I recently met Wasim Akram when we played Kolkata Knight Riders. But it is good to have Amir back in action,” says Rahman, who has 26 ODI wickets in nine appearances and 22 T20I wickets in 13 outings.
Even after the heart-wrenching loss against India which knocked Bangladesh out of the ICC World Twenty20 recently, he picked up five wickets against New Zealand in the next match to maintain pride.
