His father lost jobs, had to relocate cities, but nursed his son’s dream. Rasheed, always an undemanding son, thought his dream was shattered when he was tested positive during the World Cup, but bounced back to score runs when it matters The cricket academy where Shaik Rasheed–the vice-captain of India’s U-19 team at the World Cup–trained was in Mangalgiri, some 50 kilometers from his home in Guntur. But Rasheed, who scored a valuable 94 in the semifinal against Australia, rarely missed a day’s practice because his father, Shaik Balisha, used to ferry him the entire distance on his scooter. Every single day.
Rain or shine, heat or dust—Guntur can be scorching hot in summers—nothing mattered to him.ed the most.He lost jobs, could hardly sustain at times, moved cities, but kept the cricket dream burning in his son’s heart. He was a recovery agent for banks in Hyderabad when his friend saw Rasheed batting during a match at the academy (Prasad Cricket Academy). “He called me up and said he is gifted and I must encourage him. Unfortunately, we were not financially sound enough to support his training and academics, besides paying rent. So in 2012, I moved back to Guntur,” recalls Balisha.But then kicked in more travails. Balisha had no clue what to do next. The fees of local academies were too expensive to enrol him. But driven to the extremes, he found solutions. He started taking Rasheed to a cricket ground six kilometres from his home and started giving him throw-downs. A few months later, he came to know about ACA’s residential cricket academy and took Rasheed for a trial. Rasheed, though young, grasped the extent his father went to preserve his cricketing dream. “He never asked me to take him to a movie or a park or a toy or gadget. He was always into cricket, and I did what I could to provide him with everything,’ he adds.The stars then began to align. Rasheed left academy coach J Krishna Rao awestruck by his technique and composure. “He must have been 7 or 8 and was facing our U-16 bowlers quite comfortably. He looked so composed. Deep down I knew that he has talent and must nurture him delicately,” the coach says.
All went well until his father lost his job at a local automobile firm, as he began arriving late for work because of the 50km trips. The coach offered a solution. “His father was a bit hesitant, but I managed to convince him to let Rasheed stay at the academy,” says Rao, who is also the coach of wicketkeeper KS Bharat.Two years on, Rasheed was selected for the Andhra U-14 team. Then in the Vijay Merchant Trophy in the 2018-19 season, he amassed 674 runs at 168.50, including three centuries to file a memo of his blossoming potential. The dream run went on. In the Vinoo Mankad Trophy (2020-21), he emerged the second-highest run-getter, mustering 376 runs in six matches. Picked for the U-19 Asia Cup in December last year, he scored an unbeaten 90 off 103 balls against Bangladesh in the semi-final.
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