Kashmiri Cricketers Who Made It Big In Domestic Cricket
Cricket has witnessed a steady rise in Kashmir over the years. The rise of young talent and growing interest in the sport has led to the widening of the cricket landscape in the valley.
Having struggled due to political turmoil in the last couple of decades, cricket in Kashmir has gradually risen to grab national and international eyeballs. The growing development of the cricket culture in the valley has largely been facilitated by its domestic cricket, which has produced some of the well-known cricketers.
In this article, let us look at some Kashmiri cricketers who have left their mark in domestic cricket.
1. Parvez Rasool
Parvez Rasool is one of the most prominent cricketers that Kashmir has produced, having played in domestic and international matches. The all-rounder became the first cricketer from Kashmir to bag an IPL (Indian Premier League) contract, signing up with the Pune Warriors for the 2013 season, where he played 11 matches. He was one of the most followed players in the previous IPL seasons, with fans including him in their fantasy playing 11 on several cricket apps. His promising all-round performances made him a top choice for fans to back him on various gaming platforms, such as the cricket matches on the 10CRIC app.
However, in domestic cricket, Rasool made a profound mark for himself. He has appeared in 85 First Class, scoring 4,886 runs at an average of 37. He took 282 wickets at an average of 28.31. He also boasts 18 five-wicket hauls innings-wise.
Rasool was exceptional in the 2013-14 Ranji Trophy season, scoring 663 runs with two centuries and three half-centuries at an average of 51 and took 27 wickets with two 5-wicket hauls in 9 matches. He was honoured with the Lala Amarnath award for best all-rounder in the domestic circuit after his performance in the season.
The Anantnag-born cricketer became the first cricketer from the Kashmir Valley to be picked for India 'A'. Ever since, the current Jammu and Kashmir captain has become the first cricketer from the state to play 100 List-A matches.
His phenomenal performances in domestic cricket fetched him his first Indian cap on 15 June 2014 as he represented India against Bangladesh in an ODI. With this, he became the first Kashmiri cricketer to play international cricket. He made his T20I debut against England in 2017.
Parvez Rasool Stats: Bowling
Format | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4W | 5W | 10W |
FC | 95 | 155 | 19980 | 9578 | 352 | 8/85 | 13/160 | 27.21 | 2.87 | 56.7 | 18 | 23 | 5 |
List A | 164 | 163 | 8539 | 6096 | 221 | 6/45 | 6/45 | 27.58 | 4.28 | 38.6 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
T20s | 71 | 71 | 1539 | 1665 | 60 | 3/17 | 3/17 | 27.75 | 6.49 | 25.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Parvez Rasool Stats: Batting
Format | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4W | 5W | 10W |
FC | 95 | 161 | 16 | 5648 | 182 | 38.95 | 8007 | 70.5 | 16 | 22 | 696 | 61 | |
List A | 164 | 144 | 25 | 3982 | 118* | 33.46 | 4719 | 84.3 | 1 | 32 | 339 | 85 | |
T20s | 71 | 54 | 11 | 840 | 59* | 19.53 | 795 | 105.6 | 0 | 2 | 68 | 22 |
2. Ian Dev Singh
Named after Ian Botham and Kapil Dev, Ian Dev Singh was destined to shine on the cricket field. He ditched a lucrative MNC job in Mumbai to represent his state in domestic cricket.
Singh is the highest run scorer for J&K in First Class cricket at 4725. He has played the most matches for the state in First Class cricket at 79.
He was recently featured in domestic cricket in Sri Lanka, becoming Kashmir's only international first-class player. Besides representing his state, Singh has represented India Green, the Indian Board President's XI, Kandy Customs Cricket Club, North Zone, and the Rest of India.
The Gandhi Nagar native scored 145 in his debut match for North Zone in the Duleep Trophy, becoming the first in the state to score a ton in the tournament debut.
Ian Dev Singh Stats: Batting
Format | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
FC | 93 | 161 | 13 | 5558 | 170 | 37.55 | 10292 | 54.00 | 17 | 24 | 692 | 68 |
List A | 72 | 70 | 3 | 1627 | 112 | 24.28 | 2364 | 68.82 | 2 | 9 | 170 | 15 |
T20s | 48 | 48 | 4 | 876 | 75* | 19.90 | 895 | 97.87 | 0 | 2 | 92 | 15 |
3. Shubham Khajuria
Shubham Khajuria will be remembered as the first batter to score a double-century for Jammu & Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy in 22 years during a match against Maharashtra in Srinagar in October 2024. Khajuria eventually got out on 255 off 353 balls - the highest score by a J&K batter in the tournament history.
The right-handed opener has consistently performed in domestic cricket and has represented his state in various tournaments. He played for the India Under-19 cricket team in 2013, becoming only the second cricketer from Kashmir to do so.
Khajuria made his first-class debut at the young age of 16 in November 2011. He was the leading run-scorer for Jammu & Kashmir in the 2018–19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, with 236 runs in nine matches. One hopes to watch Khajuria play in the IPL soon in its upcoming editions even as the stage is set for the 2025 season. And there is nothing like watching your hero at the stadium and one can easily buy IPL tickets.
Shubham Khajuria Stats: Batting
Format | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4W | 5W |
FC | 70 | 122 | 3 | 3897 | 255 | 32.74 | 8332 | 46.77 | 7 | 23 | 497 | 74 |
List A | 71 | 70 | 0 | 2495 | 159 | 35.64 | 2962 | 84.23 | 6 | 14 | 267 | 70 |
T20s | 47 | 46 | 5 | 1124 | 85* | 27.41 | 918 | 122.44 | 0 | 7 | 109 | 43 |