Off-spinner Parveez Rasool on Sunday became the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to represent India in a One-Day International when he took the field against Bangladesh in the first match in Mirpur.
The 25-year-old, who hails from the town of Bij Behara in the southern Kashmir valley district of Anantnag, was first selected for the Indian team in the 2013 tour of Zimbabwe but could not make the playing eleven in any of the matches on that trip.
However, he finally made his long awaited international debut when he played in first ODI against Bangladesh in which he picked up two wickets for 60 runs in 10 overs on his debut. He dismissed Anamul Haque and Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim.
India has rested some key players such as regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma for the three-match ODI series.
Rasool was also the first cricketer from the state to get an Indian Premier League contract when he signed up for the now defunct Pune Warriors. He was signed up by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Players' Auction before the seventh edition of the T20 tournament earlier this year.
Rasool was the outstanding performer for Jammu & Kashmir in the 2012-13 Ranji Trophy season. He finished as the team's top scorer and highest wicket-taker.
The right-hander scored 594 runs at 54 with two centuries, and claimed 33 wickets at 18.09 to finish as the third-highest wicket-taker among spinners in the tournament in the seven games he played for his state.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah congratulated Rasool for becoming the first cricketer from the state to play for India.
"So very happy for Parvez Rasool. He's got his 1st ODI wicket with the dismissal of Anamul. Let's hope this is the 1st of many, well done," Omar wrote on Twitter.com soon after Rasool took his first wicket.
Image: Parveez Rasool (centre) with his team mates during an India A match vs South Africa A in Pretoria, on August 9 2013.
Photograph: Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images
