Jammu: Abdul Rashid, father of J&K pacer Umran Malik who has taken IPL 2022 by storm, was probably weighing vegetables for one of his customers in his fruits and vegetable shop in Shahidi Chowk when the news of his son being chosen to represent Team India in the international cricket trickled out.
The announcement was celebrated widely in social media and physically in Umran's Jammu neighbourhood. A calm Rashid was seen distributing sweets to his customers, and friends at work place and offered a few to us as well when the ETV Bharat reached out to him to find out how he felt.
Father of the 22-year-old cricketer told ETV Bharat that he never wanted the fast bowler to be dealing vegetables and fruits from his shop. This was why I never stopped Umran from playing cricket with his friends, explained Rashid while handling a couple of customers as he spoke.
"I am happy that my son is being loved by people from all over the country. People will continue to love him," Rashid said while thanking everyone for all the love. Umran has been fond of the game since childhood. Now I want him to make his country shine in the game, father of Sun Risers Hyderabad's star bowler said.
"I never wanted Umran to run the shop. That's why I never allowed him to come to the shop. I always encouraged him to pursue his dreams," he said and added, "Umran is hard working. I provided him whatever he asked for training. His mother and two sisters always supported him. Despite constraints, we made sure Umran's needs are met," Rashid said.
Read: Analysis: Umran's India debut, Pujara's comeback, Dhawan's snub as selectors eye future
