The star all-rounder and only International cricketer from JK, Parvez Rasool has set his eyes on upcoming Deaodhar Trophy event in order to make his way into Team India again and boost his chances in forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).
Parvez, who was recently selected for India-A team for the upcoming Deaodhar Trophy event, would be joining India-A squad at Kanpur on January 23 and would be playing his first match of the event on January 25 against India-B. The second match is scheduled against Vijay Hazare Trophy champions Gujarat on January 27.
BCCI this year changed the format of the Deaodhar Trophy from its traditional set. This year Deodhar trophy would be played on a 3-team format basis which comprises of the champion team of the Vijay Hazare tournament, Gujarat and two other teams, India-A and India-B selected by the senior national selectors.
India-A and India-B selection was done on the basis of the performance of players during Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare trophy. These two teams include all the top performers of domestic cricket and also include some of the well known faces of Indian cricket who were dropped out of Team India.
For making his case strong for Team India and upcoming IPL event, Parvez instead of coming back to Kashmir after JK’s failed T20 campaign preferred to stay in Jammu. He has been working hard in Jammu nets for the event and wants to prove his worth by performing well.
“Since the culmination of our T20 campaign in Kerala I have been practicing in Jammu. It is not team practice session but I have stayed here at my personal level. I want to stay in touch with the game in the weather conditions that are similar to Kanpur and not cold like Valley,” Parvez told over phone.
“I am working hard on my fitness and also trying to work on my strengths and weakness in order to get ready for top event like Deaodhar Trophy,” he said.
Parvez said that he has set his sights on to perform well in the event in order to make his case strong for Team India and upcoming IPL event.
“This event is benchmark for getting place in Team India. It will have all the top level performers of domestic cricket playing against each other. It will also be having some of the well known faces of Indian cricket who are out of Team India playing eleven. To perform among them and shine is always a challenge for any cricketer,” he said.
“Whenever I have been given chance I have performed well. The secret of my success in the events or matches like this has been that I never overdo things. I keep it simple, focus on strengths and weakness. When a player tries to do many things at a time, he loses plot and that becomes reason for his downfall,” Parvez said.
About India-A side that would be led by Ambati Rayudu is strong and favorite to lift the trophy. “If you look at the team sheet side looks stronger than India-B and Gujarat. However, it depends on how a team performs on a given day. Still on paper India-A looks favorites to lift trophy but nothing can be said,” he said.
“Team composition favors me and I may be playing both the initial matches. I have known the players in my squad for quite some time and it will be easier to jell with them,” he added.
