Genius in the time of hate and bloodshed
Interview: Sheela Bhatt
Did the boys have any complaints during this period?
Mehboob Khan: Never about the game, no; but yes, Irfan would occasionally complain about the cycling.
Yusuf Khan: We only had one cycle between the two of us, and we had a deal -- if I cycled on the way to the maidan, then Irfan had to pedal on the way back. But often, he would try to wriggle out of doing his bit, and this was the only quarrel between us.
When and how did cricket become an obsession, when did it become what you wanted to do in life?
Shamim Banu, Irfan's mother: We had our own way of looking at things. We wanted our children to pursue whatever career they liked; we never imposed our will on them. They told me 'Mummy, we want to play cricket', and I said okay.
I also told them, once you decide on cricket, don't ever retreat. Both boys have worked hard, very hard. I told them to play cricket, but also that they had to do some studying, and both my boys agreed. I sent them to MES School, and the teachers supported the boys -- they would get special leave at 3 pm to go and play.
Yusuf Khan: It was only when we began playing Under-16 and Under-19 matches that we got confidence. However, my father always had in mind this belief that we would become big players.
In Gujarat, most parents and young men think first of job security -- it is a well entrenched social trend. How is it that the boys never got
influenced by that way of thinking?
Mehboob Khan: We never thought in terms of a secure job, or their marriage prospects, and such things. Irfan jo chala hai, Allah bharose chala hai (Irfan's career is Allah driven).
Yusuf Khan: In our Islam, it is said that whatever you do, you leave it to Allah. If He sent us into this world, He also fixed our destiny.
He is the supporter, the giver.
Mehboob Khan: My father earned just Rs 135 -- imagine how he must have managed our family. He served Allah, and everything went on. My grandfather earned just Rs 80 -- all this was just 15, 16 years back. Sab Allah ne chalaya (God did everything for us).
Also read: Runs and Records
Irfan's parents Shamim Banu and Mehboob Khan. Photograph: Sheela Bhatt