Rahil on Mumbai's radar as Zaheer's understudy

MUMBAI: It wasn't a profitable Sunday for left-arm medium-pacer Rahil Shaikh, Mumbai's newest Ranji trophy selection. While his team, Parkophene, won their match against hosts PJ Hindu Gymkhana in the Purshottam Shield, Rahil had just one wicket and was unlucky as some three nicks went through the slips cordon.
Rahil and Dinesh Salunkhe are two Mumbai players from the reality show Cricket Star who found a place in the Mumbai probables this season.Both haven't played for any of the age-group sides. Just when people were worried their was no left-armer successor to Zaheer Khan, with few of this tribe even at age group level--Skand Vohra is the only other left-arm Ranji probable, comes the selection of 23-year-old Rahil.
Just three years ago Rahil was playing only tennis-ball cricket. The advantage of Rahil is that he can get the ball to rise from a good length which is a prime requirement for anyone wanting to bowl fast. Importantly, he bowls in the channel not allowing too many cutting and glancing. And in One-day cricket he can keep the ball just short of length
Rahil is another find of coach Naushad Khan who also unearthed left-arm spinner Iqbal Adulla last season. Says Naushad, the former Western Railway all-rounder who coaches and runs the Young Mohammedans team at Azad maidan: "In early 2006, one of my players, Kadir Patel (who recently got a hundred for Akbar Travels in the Times Shield) had gone to buy some homeopathic medicines from a Rahil's mamu (uncle) who asked him to take a look at his nephew, Rahil.
Kadir brought him to me.
At first he was hitting the poles of the nets. Then one ball hit me on the chest. This had never happened to me even though I had played top bowlers when I was a Ranji probable. I felt this was special pace. I began working on Rahil's fitness, making him run rounds of the Azad maidan in the evening and Indian Airlines ground Kalina in the mornings. He has shed 15 kg in two years."
Cricket star coach Zubin Bharucha had asked Naushad to send some bowlers for the nets.
Another coach, Robin Singh, was impressed by Rahil. He was rushed to the Delhi trials for he had not gone for those at Mumbai. Rahil was picked. Rahil says his fitness was improved at the reality show. Kapil Dev was on record saying Rahil was clocking 142 kph.
A bonus was the reality show bowlers being called to nets of India during the ODI against Sri Lanka in Goa. Says Rahil: "Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan, two left-arm pacers like me, gave me plenty of tips."
Coach Naushad got Rahil to shift from Young Mohammedans (for whom he got a fifer in his first game) to Parkophene this season and he played alongside Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma and he picked up 15 wickets. Milind Rege picked him for the Tata Sports Club Times Shield team and he joined a new-ball attack of Ajit Agarkar, Usman Malvi and Kshemal Waingankar but didn't play the only game that was possible.
But Rahil caused a stir by claiming a hat-trick in a practice game--wickets of Onkar Khanvilkar and Iqbal Abdulla caught behind and Rohan Raje lbw. Suddenly there was a buzz about him.
A lot of CCI members had come to watch Rahil when Mumbai played a warm-up game against Pieterson's side last month. Taking over from Kshemal Waingankar who had claimed a fifer, Rahil claimed three wickets-- Andy Flintoff, Steve Harmisnon and James Anderson. Says Rahil: "I bowled a dot ball then a bouncer which he hit for four. Then a full length ball he couldn't latch on and edged to the keeper." About the hat-trick he said: "I got the two batsmen to edge. To Raje I brought the ball in and he fell."
It remains to be seen when he actually gets his first-class baptism. But it is good to know that he is on the radar of those who matter.