'I was observing Namaz'- Shahbaz Nadeem when he got his maiden India call-up

India won their home Test series against South Africa with a clean sweep 3-0. The days for the hosts are going remarkable but there was one more player whose time has changed when he got his first call-up from the Indian team. Shahbaz Nadeem made his debut on his home ground in the final match of the Test series.

Nadeem had been waiting for his debut for very long. Its been more than 15 years that he is playing in first-class cricket and has more than 400 wickets registered under his name. The local boy was drafted into the squad after Indian Chinaman Kuldeep Yadav complained of left shoulder pain.

Shahbaz Nadeem was nervous ahead of his debut match

30-year-old took two wickets in his debut Test and sent back Temba Bavuma and Anrich Nortje back to the pavilion that ended Proteas innings. In the press conference, he was asked about how he felt in his first match playing for India, he said it was an emotional moment but at the same time, he was nervous in order to deliver well with the ball for the team.

“I was excited, and a bit emotional too, but then I concentrated on what I had to do in the game. I was nervous for the first three balls, especially during my run-up. My nerves settled during the fourth ball,” Shahbaz said as quoted by India Today.

Also, a reporter asked him about what he was doing when he got a surprising call-up from Team India. Indian spinner said he was reciting Namaz at that time when his phone started ringing. After completion of his prayer when he picked up his phone then he came to know about it.

“When you have played cricket for so many years, you’re ready to play 6am in the morning after getting a 4 am call. It was around 2.30pm on Friday and I was observing Namaaz (prayer) when my phone kept ringing. I finished my prayer and saw that I was being called for the Test. I came by road from Kolkata,” Nadeem added.

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