It is a dream come true: Faiz Fazal on India debut

A debut at the age of 30 does not come too often in Indian cricket. In fact, only ten thirty-plus players have made their debut for the India in their cricket history. The tenth to do so was Faiz Fazal. The 30-year-old Vidarbha batsman’s long wait for the India cap got fulfilled when Indian captain MS Dhoni handed him the blue cap of India before the match. He then delivered on the faith shown by the team management and scored a debut half-century to guide India to a ten-wicket win in the last match of the ODI series at Harare. Speaking to bcci.tv about his debut, just after the match, Fazal described it as “a dream come true”.

“I was really nervous, initially, but then the nerves came down and by God’s grace I batted well. It was an amazing moment. Getting the cap from captain MS Dhoni, he is such an amazing human being and such an amazing captain. I was lucky to get the cap from him.

“It is a dream come true. Getting a half-century for India in the first game. But, this is the just the first step, hopefully, they will come more and more in the future,” said Fazal.

(Also read, Do these India tours to Zimbabwe actually serve any purpose?)

When asked about his feelings about receiving the India cap after a long wait, the left-hander said that he was numb when he received the cap.

“I was numb, to be honest. I was really happy that I got the cap. But, that is the life of a sportsman. You just need to work hard and hard and when you get the reverse, you have to accept it. You have to go there and perform,” the 30-year-old told bcci.tv.

It is a dream come true. Getting a half-century for India in the first game. But, this is the just the first step, hopefully, they will come more and more in the future, said Fazal.

Speaking about what kept him motivated to play cricket even when an India cap looked impossible, Fazal said, “The game itself is a motivation for me. I mean, you don’t need anybody to motivate yourself. I love the game and it’s my hobby. The passion, and the motivation everything is just the game itself. I always wanted to play for the country, it was my aim. When this aim was lost, then there is nothing to play for. I don’t how many things are these, but the game itself is a big motivation.”

Fazal and KL Rahul formed an unbeaten 126-run partnership for the opening wicket, and helped India clean sweep the series with a 10-wicket victory. When asked about the innings, Fazal said the wicket was a bit bowling-friendly, and that they took their time before scoring the runs.

“Me and Rahul were communicating really well. I mean, that was not a big total. But, as you have seen the wickets here are not that great over here, little bowling friendly. So it was important to stay there and keep batting. That’s what we did and really happy that we won by 10 wickets,” said the Vidarbha batsman. 

These Indian kids can create footballing history, but they need your help. You can help Slum Soccer send 20 of our most talented footballers to represent INDIA at the Homeless World Cup at Glasgow. Click here to know more.