Forbidden, wounded, forgotten: Rasikh Salam Dar never stopped believing

Rasikh Salam Dar (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) TimesofIndia.com in Ahmedabad: Seven years ago, around the same time of the year, Nadeem Dar was playing a club match in Chandigarh, where he was studying at the time. He got a call from Rasikh Salam Dar, his cousin and the one he had been training since he was eight years old.“It was the darkest day of my life. I remember him saying, ‘Sab khatam ho gaya bhai jaan (It’s over now).’ Before I could ask what exactly happened, he collapsed,” Nadeem told TimesofIndia.com. Rasikh was banned for two years in 2019 following an irregularity involving the submission of a faulty birth certificate to the BCCI. The ban ruled him out of contention for the 2020 Under-19 World Cup and effectively closed the door on his return to Jammu and Kashmir cricket. After facing three rejections in the Under-19 Tests, Rasikh was selected ahead of the 2018 season when Irfan Pathan joined Jammu and Kashmir as a mentor.“He started playing U-19, U-23, Ranji Trophy and IPL in six months. Then one day we came to know about the ban,” he said.“It wasn’t even his fault. I don’t want to talk about it because it’s a very happy moment. He played an extremely important role in helping RCB win the title. We remember it like a bad dream,” added Nadeem.Growing up in Khandipora, a village located in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, it was Nadeem who introduced Rasikh to cricket.The journey started with a tennis ball and this is where Rasikh learned all his variations. But at 13, Nadeem took him to a local club where he played bowling with a leather ball for the first time. Within a few weeks, he made a name for himself with his swing bowling.“There are few turf wickets in Kashmir today and a few years ago they were a rarity. So in tennis ball cricket you just need a cement wicket and even if the outfield is wet and soggy it doesn’t matter. Back slower which everyone is praising now. He learned at the age of 14 when it’s hard to pick. In the last few seasons with Bhuvneshwar (Kumar) he’s also added the wheel ball to his armoury, no doubt he’s a quick learner.” Nadeem said of his brother.After completing his two-year ban and shifting base to Mumbai, Rasikh suffered a lower back stress injury that kept him out even longer.“He didn’t play any competitive cricket for four years. First the ban, then the injury, but he never lost hope. He never said he wanted to quit. It’s just not in his blood to give up,” Mir Murtaza, Rasikh’s childhood friend, told this website in Dharamsala ahead of Qualifier 1.“He’s very introverted. Everyone thinks he’s soft on the outside, but he’s very tough on the inside. We grew up together, played all our cricket together, and even when he faced rejection in his early days, he never backed down. Mentally, he’s very tough. We’d often pull his leg because he wasn’t active on social media like other cricketers or because he lived a simple life, he might expect: He can do it all. I want to play for India, which is the ultimate dream,” Murtaza said.A few eyebrows were raised when RCB picked up Rasikh for Rs 6 crore ahead of IPL 2025. He played only two games and scored a solitary goal.“My only aim was to improve. I continued to work with Omkar Salvi sir. I watched Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and tried to pick their brains as much as I could. I continued to bowl because that’s the only thing I know and by God’s grace I got the results I wanted,” Rasikh told TimesofIndia.com in Ahmedabad.Dar finished with 19 wickets at an economic rate of 9.45. He was RCB’s most successful bowler in the final against Gujarat Titans, finishing with figures of 3 for 27.“They (Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood) made my job easy. They gave us a perfect start throughout the tournament and that made my job easy. All credit to them. I was just lucky to share the dressing room with them. I learned so much and can’t wait to come back next year,” said Dar, oozing with confidence.But captain Rajat Patidar praised the 26-year-old for his contributions throughout the season.“The way Rasikh came in and performed for the team and brought those breakthroughs is important because you can’t win competitions or matches with just one or two bowlers,” Patidar told reporters on the eve of the final. Patidar again praised Dar after the final.“He’s very confident in his ability, his slower deliveries and especially his yorkers. I think he supported Bhuvi and Hazlewood well. Again, it’s clear whenever I see him he’s clear about his role and what he has to do. I always tell my bowlers if you have something, if you have a plan, go and execute it.”For Rasikh, the goal is simply to continue the process, stay fit and continue doing the one thing he absolutely loves, marking his runs and bowling for hours on end.“When I have the ball in my hands, that’s my happiest place. It’s been a long season. I can’t wait to get home and meet my parents. I want to dedicate this trophy to my father, Abdul Salaam, who always encouraged me to pursue my love for the game (cricket). He stood by me like a pillar through and through,” said an emotional Rasikh.India are scheduled to play around 45 T20Is over the next two years and what the future holds for Rasikh remains unknown. But with his wicket-taking ability in the middle overs, he has certainly knocked on the door of the national team. If he stays fit and continues to do what he loves, the blue jersey may not be far for “Khandipora’s sher” (lion), the nickname he has earned from his peers.