Language Doesn’t Matter, I Understand Cricketing Stuff: Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Unlike most of his compatriots coming out of the war-ravaged nation to play international cricket, Mujeeb Ur Rahman was blessed with some luxurious facilities growing up. He grew in a mansion in Khost where he developed a keen interest in cricket.

Nephew to Noor Ali Zadran, who played in Afghanistan’s debut ODI against Scotland in 2009, Mujeeb honed his skills in the nursery built by his uncle.  The academy gave him an opportunity to test himself against the biggest names in the nation. Blessed with his own private practicing facilities, Mujeeb discovered his aptitude for spin bowling trying to squeeze a tennis ball between his fingers. He also relied on Youtube videos of Ajantha Mendis to develop his spin bowling.

Well all the hard work has paid off as the Afghanistan sensation has become one of the most sought after young faces in the game. Just 17, he is making waves in the game with his spin. In a recent interview, he spoke on how he grew up which helped him develop his skills.

“I used to bowl to my uncle from a very young age. And I bowled with a mindset that I was already playing at the international level. Right from the beginning, I got a chance to bowl to international players,” Mujeeb told TOI.

“I watched Ajantha Mendis, Sunil Narine and Ravichandran Ashwin bowling different type of balls. That fascinated me. I kept watching the videos and grew with it,” he added.

Mujeeb’s rise has been so fast that it has left him with very little time to learn things international cricketers are expected to. One of them is language. The 17-year old is yet to learn English and relies solely on Pashto and his cricketing knowledge to express himself.

“No English or Hindi. Only Pashto,” he said while explaining his language barrier.

“I bank on my cricketing knowledge. Understand what is being told to me, the language doesn’t matter. I understand cricketing stuff,” he added.

Mujeeb’s reputation has been further enhanced with his performance in his maiden IPL season. Kings XI Punjab bought him for a whopping INR 4 crore and he fully justified the price tag.  He took 14 wickets in 11 games and conceded a commendable less than 7 runs per over.

One of the highlights of his season was the wicket of India skipper Virat Kohli. The teenager had broken through the defence of Kohli, arguably the best batsman in the world. When asked about it, he said:

“I observed his footwork very minutely. I drew him forward and exposed the gap.”