Watchman to IPL, Manzoor living his dream
Growing up in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district, Manzoor Dar once decided to shovel snow on the local cricket field all by himself. It was a chilly morning, but Dar says he was determined to avenge the loss of his team the previous day. It took him a few hours, but he could prepare the pitch for the next match. “I was pained by the loss and wanted to make up for it in the next match,” recalls Dar.
Dar, 24, is the only player from Jammu and Kashmir in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL). He has been bought by Kings XI Punjab at his base price of ~20 lakh. Before him, Parvez Rasool, J & K skipper, had featured in the IPL.
Dar says it is passion for the game that has kept him going despite abject poverty. Being the eldest of eight siblings – he has four sisters and three brothers -- Dar says there were many responsibilities to shoulder. “I had to leave my studies midway and support my father,” says Dar.
Dar made his J&K debut last year, in the North Zone Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, and hasn’t looked back. He has played nine T20s with a strike rate of 145 plus. Dar says his journey began when he got a chance to play for a local team and ended up scoring a century studded with eight sixes. “Following this, I was picked by another team that used to play in Srinagar.”
For his first match in Srinagar, Dar says, “I did not have a pair of shoes. I couldn’t afford.”
“My family has faced lot of difficulties. At times we had to sleep without proper food,” Dar said, explaining how he once made his siblings eat apples instead of a proper dinner.
He started working as a security guard in the night, concentrating on his game during the day. This was “a life-changing decision” as it took care of his family and gave him time to pursue his passion by playing for local clubs that would also pay him occasionally.
“Had it not been for this, I wouldn’t have reached anywhere near what I am today,” he says.
CHANDIGARH: