SRINAGAR: Phones have not stopped ringing at Mushtaq Ahmad Lone’s home since his 13-year-old daughter Farheen Anjum was selected for the J&K Under-15 girls’ cricket team.
Coming from an extremely backward area of Azamabad-Mandi in Poonch, Farheen has made Jammu and Kashmir proud with her perseverance and hard work.
A class 8 student of Raza-ul-Uloom Islamia School, she started training at Rahul Dravid Cricket Academy in Pooch a year ago. Since then there is no looking back.
“We shifted from Azamabad to Poonch town last year. My papa took me to the ground for Taekwondo. When I saw cricketers, I told my papa that I too want to play this game. Luckily, I got admission to Rahul Dravid Academy. Everything is free here — training, equipment, and other things,” Farheen told The Kashmir Monitor.
An all-rounder, she bats at the top order and bowls medium fast. She impressed her coaches to the extent that they believe that she has the potential to play nationals.
“I started as a batswoman. But then my coach said you can bowl also. I started bowling and thank God today I am a medium pacer too,” she said.
Coming from a humble background, Farheen’s father is working in the forest department and her mother is in the Aganwadii Center. She is the third of fourth siblings and the only sportsperson who has ventured out.
“When she joined the cricket academy, there was no girl from Poonch playing cricket. My daughter was perhaps the first in our district. Now there are many girls getting training. I thank Allah that my daughter has set the trend,” said Mushtaq Lone.
The little angel is flying to Rajkot on December 23 to play in the under-15 tournament. “It is a dream come true. I want to represent India one day. I have to do a lot of hard work and play for the Ranji trophy before realizing my dream. My role model is Smriti Mandhana and Virat Kohli. I want to play like them. My dream is to meet them too,” she said.
Farheen and her parents acknowledge that without her coach Parvez Malik Afridi, she would not have made it to the J&K team.
“I had sent her for trials last year too, but she could not make it then. She did not lose hope and started afresh. This year, there was a camp in Jammu. Farheen performed extremely well in all departments. She batted, bowled, and fielded well. I got a call that Farheen has been selected. Another girl from Poonch is on standby,” Afridi told The Kashmir Monitor.
