A horrific car crash, six months ago, brought Musheer Khan’s life to a grinding halt. A fracture around the neck region meant the young batting all-rounder from Mumbai was ruled out of any form of cricket for more than three months, and he had to miss the entire domestic season.
However, having come from a family of cricketers – his father Naushad is a noted coach and elder brother Sarfaraz is an India international – most conversations at home would revolve around the game.
“Since I could not move my neck and had to be mostly bed-ridden, playing cricket was out of the question, but at home, Abbu and our brothers would only talk about cricket, so my world revolved around the game,” Musheer told Sportstar.
Back then, he did not imagine that he would be picked by Punjab Kings for his maiden Indian Premier League sojourn, but Musheer knew he had to get back on his feet and return to the pitch soon.
“I watched all our Ranji Trophy matches and Irani Trophy fixtures on television, and since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy was on, I watched all the matches. Abbu, my brother Moeen and I would often discuss the game, and I knew that I had to be patient and accept whatever had happened. Initially, I was sad to have missed out on the whole season, but then, I came to terms with it,” the young batter said on the eve of Punjab Kings’ opening fixture against Gujarat Titans.
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In September, Musheer and Naushad were en route to Lucknow from Azamgarh, their hometown, for the Irani Cup game between Mumbai and Rest of India, when he met with the accident. The SUV carrying him, his father and two others collided with a median and toppled, and both of them were rushed to the hospital.
“I am very happy that I got a new life and I want to enjoy it now,” Musheer said.
After recovering, Musheer went to the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru for his rehabilitation programme and eventually started training with his father. “Once I returned home, I slowly started training with Abbu at the Astroturf at home. I did sessions on the field as well with Abbu and Moeen bhai, and went on to play local matches before joining the Punjab Kings camp for the IPL,” he said.
It was difficult to regain the rhythm after a long injury lay-off. “I had to regularly monitor things, because sometimes you develop cramps or witness discomfort after returning to action from a long break, so it was taking it step by step. Another target was to ensure that I found my mojo back in terms of bowling. Back then, I could not bowl much due to the neck injury, but now, I am bowling at full throttle, so it took some time to return to shape, but eventually things fell in place,” the 20-year-old said.
Being picked by Punjab Kings in the IPL auction was a big deal for the youngster, and it motivated him to keep going, despite the tough times.
Musheer has already managed to catch the attention of head coach Ricky Ponting at the Punjab camp. The Aussie recently praised him, saying: “He (Musheer) has brought a lot to the group already. He has got an infectious attitude around the training ground and the team so far. He’s been someone that I’ve really enjoyed working with.”
Musheer Khan in conversation with Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting
| Photo Credit:
Punjab Kings
Musheer Khan in conversation with Punjab Kings coach Ricky Ponting
| Photo Credit:
Punjab Kings
Musheer, too, is looking forward to learning a lot from Ponting. “It has been a great experience so far. When he talks to us, when he teaches us something, it doesn’t feel like a big shot is explaining it to us. I like his attitude and have learned a lot of things. But there’s a lot more to learn,” Musheer said.
Musheer has had discussions with Ponting on power-hitting. “I spoke to him about power-hitting. And the pull shot, which was his favourite. He used to hit on the front foot, so I asked him how he used to keep his head steady. And how stable he used to be. And he told me about power-hitting. He wanted me to play my natural game and did not want to impose anything. It was about keeping things simple,” the youngster added.
Having seen Sarfaraz warm the bench in the IPL in the past, Musheer knows that he will have to wait for his chance in the league, and he is ready for that. “It’s my first year. So, I am trying to learn as much as I can,” he said. “Wherever I get a chance to bat in the team, or help in terms of bowling, I should be ready and that should be the mindset,” he said, adding that Sarfaraz, too, has guided him well.
“My brother (Sarfaraz) told me not to think about negative things and that if I am sitting outside, I should learn to observe what the players are doing, what kind of field they are playing, what kind of field placements are made. He told me that it’s my first year and that I should observe things and learn from them…”
The car crash had halted Musheer’s dreams, but grateful for a ‘second life’, the youngster wants to march on and take small steps before fulfilling his dreams of donning the India cap someday.