Mansooruddin Faridi/New Delhi

“Shahbaz has a father figure in Parthu Bhai, an elder brother in Manoj Tiwari, and a mentor in Arun Lal. I am yet to meet them. But we (Family) are planning to visit Kolkata this year to meet and thank them. It is because of them that Shahbaz has made it to team India. I will make Biryani for all of them.”

Abnam, the mother of the newest star of the Indian cricket team, all-rounder Shehbaz Ahmed, said this at his home in Nuh, Haryana. She keeps mentioning the three names as she gives credit to them for her son's rise in the Indian cricket.

This is the quintessential Indian story of the inclusive living of common people.

Speaking to an English language newspaper, Shehbaz Ahmed's mother Abnam said that if these three persons were not in her son’s life, Shehbaz would not have made it big.

Abnam calls “Parthu Sahib an angel sent by Allah.” She asked the reporter, “Who would keep a stranger in his home? He kept Shahbaz at his place and treated him like a son.”

Sehbaz was first introduced to Parthu Pratim Chowdhury by Pramod Chandela (Haryana cricketer) and he brought him to Kolkata. Impressed by Shahbaz's talent, Chowdhury helped him enter the Tapan Memorial Club but lodged him in his house.

Soon Shahbaz Ahmed's performance was noticed by the then-Bengal captain Manoj Tiwary. There was some reservation about Shahbaz as he didn’t hail from Bengal but Tiwari persisted and eventually got his way.

Shahbaz Ahmed was included in the Bengal cricket team.

It was the Bengal cricket team coach Arun Lal who further trained Shahbaz.

These efforts paid off as Shehbaz’s turned out to be a key factor in the Bengal Team reaching the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy finals. The all-rounder scored 509 runs with the bat and took 35 wickets with left-arm spin.

In the 2021–22 Ranji trophy season, Shahbaz scored 582 runs in five matches and took nine wickets. During his three-year stint at Royal Challengers Bangalore, Shahbaz emerged as an all-rounder and became one of the pillars of the Indian Premier League franchise.

Shahbaz Ahmed with his parent at home

Shahbaz Ahmed made his international cricket debut for India against South Africa on Sunday and became the 247th international cricketer to represent his country in ODIs. He also took a wicket in his first match against South Africa.

However, his journey from a village in Haryana to Kolkata and into the Indian cricket team was not an easy one for him.

His father wanted him to study engineering and it was his mother who supported him to making what he wishes to make of his life.

Shahbaz's father Ahmed Jan told media persons that he wanted his son to continue his studies and not play cricket. “My son had decided something else and I came to know about it very late,” he said. The father said Shahbaz was a bright student; scored 80% in class 10th and 88% in class 12th. “I never dreamed that he would quit his studies to play cricket.”

Shahbaz's mother Abnam says that she too wanted her son to complete his engineering studies and get a good job. Shahbaz Ahmed's parents say their son dropped out of college classes and one day told them he wanted to go to Kolkata to fulfill his dream of playing cricket.

The mother says that 'Shahbaz's college professor also told him that you are making a mistake because you are a good student.' However, Shahbaz Ahmed followed his heart and left for Kolkata along with three other cricketers where they lived in a small room. It was not easy for Shahbaz to live in the city of Kolkata as he did not even know how to cook.

Enjoy 😊😊🏏 pic.twitter.com/CcJcujpSO7

— Shahbaz Ahmed (@shahbazrcb_a77) October 11, 2022

Abnam says that 'Shahbaz didn't know how to cook, so he used to wash the dishes.' Shahbaz's father, Ahmed Jan, says that he eventually surrendered to Shahbaz's wishes and had told him, “Return home only after striking it big.”

Twenty-seven-year-old Shahbaz Ahmed also plays for Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore and was signed by the franchise for INR 2.4 million last season.

Shahbaz Ahmed's home in Nuh, a small town in Haryana close to New Delhi is well equipped. Ahmed Jan, who works as a clerk in the SDM’s office says, "I have not taken a single penny from Shahbaz; I am a Haryana government employee, and my salary is good. Yes, and I can afford it (Lifestyle).”

Shahbaz has bought a car in Kolkata with his IPL money but is unable to drive it due to heavy traffic in the city. Sehbaz was included in Rs 2.4 crore bid for Kolkata Night Riders.

After all these years, Ahmed Jan still resents the fact that his son, an 'A' grade student, decided to quit his studies to play cricket.

“Like any middle-class family, we love watching cricket. I have played till college, but education has always been our priority. My father, Muhammad Ishaq, was the headmaster, and I am a civil servant. My younger brother is a teacher and my daughter is a doctor,” Ahmed Jan who is still not reconciled to his son’s offbeat career, says.

However, his mother says parents should also listen to what your child wants to do.

Ahmed Jan says that he is happy that Shahbaz has completed his degree during the lockdown. But now their biggest concern is building a trophy shelf in Shahbaz's newly built room on the second floor.

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“I wanted to make a separate little room for his trophy but his mom, and sister, like to show off and don't want that. I have asked the contractor to build just one big shelf in her room.”