Parvez Rasool’s family calm despite media furore

File Photo: Ghulam Rasool (L) father of cricketer Parvez along with the son Asif (R).

The handling of Parvez Rasool in the Indian squad has caused a huge furore in the valley of Jammu and Kashmir but the family of the all-rounder has remained calm even as he was the only one who did not feature in a single game on the tour to Zimbabwe.

“Obviously, we are upset,” said Mr. Ghulam Rasool, the father of Parvez, according to The Hindu. 

“But we fully honour the decision of the team managers. They are the best judges to decide who should play and who shouldn’t. Had he played today, our dream would have come true.

“We are hopeful he will play an international one day for India.” he added.

Mr. Ghulam Rasool, who lives with his family and two sons Parvez and Asif in the southern Kashmiri town of Bijbehara, said that the family will not lose hope and will continue to work, as was the case with Parvez when he had to face one of the biggest challenges of his life in 2009.

“We didn’t lose our heart even when Parvez was desperately struggling for an entry to the national level. In 2009, he landed in a great trouble at Bangalore when he objected to the checking of his bag by sniffer dogs at his hotel.

For several hours of the day, he was labelled a terrorist. When the police learnt that his resistance was only due to his Koran and a prayer mat in the bag, their respect for him grew more,” Mr. Rasool said.

In the light of these reactions it is pleasing to note the balanced viewpoint held by the Rasool family.

The vice president of the BCCI, Mr. Rajeev Shukla earlier said that Rasool ‘will definitely get his chance’.