Haseen Rizvi had banned his brother-in-law Tankeeb Akhtar from entering their house. Reason: Tankeeb, a failed cricketer himself, had seen potential in his nephew Sameer Rizvi and wanted him to play for India.
On Tuesday, Mamu Tankeeb came one step closer to his dream. The Meerut-resident Sameer was picked for Rs 8.40 crore by Chennai Super Kings after intense bidding to become the day’s highest earning uncapped player.
“Mamu was always there with me. If I think maybe there would be barely 14 days in the past 14 years when he wasn’t with me at the ground,” Sameer tells The Indian Express.
“He had more belief in me than I ever had. He forced me to sit and watch the auction. I never wanted to watch it, but he made me watch it and I am glad that he did,” shares the youngster.
For years, Tankeeb stopped visiting his sister’s house because of his brother-in-law’s taunts. He visited his brother-in-law three years ago when a 16-year-old Sameer made his Ranji Trophy debut.
“Mat bigaad usey, khud ki tarah mat bana, cricket se kya mila tujhe (Don’t spoil him. Don’t make him like you. What have you gained from playing cricket)? These were the words my brother-in-law used to say to me whenever he would see me,” laughs Tankeeb.
“Back then, it used to hurt me a lot. Today, we laughed a lot on this topic. Sameer’s father is not well for the past three years. He suffered a brain haemorrhage days before Sameer made his Ranji debut.”
“Today, my brother-in-law held my hand and cried like a kid. It is a very emotional moment for our family,” he says.
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Tankeeb says the price tag has put even more responsibility on his shoulders, as he doesn’t want Sameer to be carried away.
“Itna paisa is umar mein, thoda dar lag raha hai mujhe (So much money at such an age, I am a bit scared). As a coach my role is over. Now he will get more qualified coaches at Uttar Pradesh, National Cricket Academy and Chennai Super Kings. My job is now to keep his feet on the ground. It is going to be a tough task,” laughs Tankeeb.
Sameer came to limelight in 2019-20, when former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi handed him a first-class debut at the age of 16.
“One of the great facets of Sameer’s game is his ability to bat anywhere between Nos. 4 and 7. He is a floater, and ready to bat anywhere and has adapted to different roles as well. Just like Rinku (Singh), he has got this excellent ability to finish games,” says Joshi, now the coach of Uttar Pradesh.
“The talent was always there. When he made his Ranji Trophy debut, people said that he was young but believe me, he was ready. Since then, he has not only improved his game but has taken it to the next level. The rise has been staggering but I am not surprised,” says Joshi.
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Sameer comes with a reputation for big hitting. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy, he was among the top 10 six-hitters, with 18 maximums, striking at 139.89. The 20-year-old hit a six every 11 balls. In the UP T20 league, he registered the highest individual score of 122 as well as the fastest century that came off 47 balls. Among batsmen to score at least 100 runs, he had the best strike rate in the tournament at 188.80, where he was also the leading six-hitter overall. Sameer scored 455 runs, and had 35 sixes in the UP T20 League. In the Men’s U-23 State A Trophy, he scored 454 runs, hit 37 sixes, the most in the tournament and led his team to the title.
“Rohit Sharma is his role model. Rohit’s effortless batting has made him his fan. He used to annoy me by asking questions about whether his pull shot looked like Rohit or not. There is no similarity but he thinks that he bats like Rohit,” says Tankeeb.
“I am happy that he is going to CSK. The reason being that just by being around MS Dhoni for three months, he will learn a lot and become a better cricketer,” said Tankeeb.
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