Haseeb Hameed repays for the bat bought in Mumbai

English cricket found a new teen sensation in 19-year-old Haseeb Hameed. On a tough Indian tour, when most batsmen struggled, Hameed showed great character with the bat. He had an impressive start to his Test career as he hit 82 in the second innings of the Rajkot Test. He injured his finger in the third Test but still turned up to bat in the second innings for England.

Batting with a broken finger, he showed a lot of grit and determination as he scored a fighting 59. Although England ended up losing the Mohali Test, Hameed won hearts. He was ruled out for the remainder of the series but was praised for his efforts. However, for a youngster who spent a lot of time in Mumbai, it was only unfortunate to have missed out on the Mumbai Test.

Hameed has a great connection with Mumbai. He trained in Mumbai as a 15-year-old kid. Later, he travelled back to Mumbai in 2015 and trained for a couple of weeks again. Recalling one of the incidences in Mumbai, Hameed explained how he bought a bat but could not pay for it. While training under Vidyadhar Paradkar, he went to take a bat worth 10000 rupees from M Ashraf Brothers in Marine Lines.

Sadly, he did not have enough money to pay for it. Much to his delight and surprise, the shop owner Mr. Aslam Chaudhary let him take the bat. Hameed went back to Bolton, his residence in London. They tried contacting the bat owners to pay for it but could not get enough details.

“I was a total stranger to him. Me and my dad were surprised that Aslam uncle gave me the bat despite not being able to pay the full cost of the bat. It was great gesture and I can never forget it,” Haseeb Hameed was quoted in Hindustan Times. “When we went back home (to Bolton), we tried to send the balance money across to him, but we didn’t have proper details of his,” he added.

Later, when he came back to India in 2015, Hameed repaid the total amount for the bat. “It was on my mind to make the full payment for the bat. My father too had reminded me about it. So, when I came back, I went to Aslam uncle’s shop and paid the remaining amount,” Hameed mentioned.

Haseeb’s father Ismail is a very humble man who has taught him to be down to earth. Adding a note to it, he mentioned, “I have a very supportive family. It is also the discipline in day-to-day life, respect for coaches and staying humble. My dad often tells me to be aware of not getting too far ahead in your head. I have to be confident when it comes to cricket, but pride and arrogance is not a good thing.”

He also added that it is great to receive compliments from the legends. However, he is making sure that he does not let it seep through his mind. “It’s humbling to hear the praise from top cricketers. But I know I can’t get carried away with all this hype. The escalator can go up very quickly, but it can come down even faster,” he conceded.