By: Sameer Lone
Pulwama: At the tender age of 18 years, he has earned a huge fan base for himself. Wherever he goes, cricket lovers follow him to watch his heroics.
Rahil Mir alias Rahil Lefty from Tumlahaal village of Pulwama district has emerged as a new southpaw cricket sensation. In these chilling winters, cricket returns with much passion in rural areas of Kashmir and Rahil Lefty has added more entertainment to it.
In his last few innings at different cricket stadiums, he has three hundreds to his credit. The last hundred came of just 60 balls that earned him a Man of the Match award during the finals of Winter Cup at Chandgam Cricket ground in Pulwama.
The final match drew thousands of spectators to the venue.
“We love to watch him. He is very young. He is a ruthless hitter of the ball. We would love to see him one day at the big stage at the national level. The way he grows, it seems he would reach to his dream,” said Feroz Ahmad, a spectator.
Rahil is not only a specialist batsman but a combo pack. “He is an opening batsman, a fast bowler and a wicket keeper often. He delivers in every department since he is great with his all round performances,” said his fans.
Rahil, whose actual name is Muneeb Mir, told Precious Kashmir that he has also played in outside states like Delhi, Daman and Diu and Punjab.
“I have chosen cricket as a profession. I am trying every effort to earn a call from a big franchise to show my talent,” he said.
For the audience, Rahil Lefty in these winters has turned out to be a great source of entertainment.
“90 percent people in our area are farmers and orchardists. In winters we are completely at home since there is no work to do. Amid this din cricket passion grows among people. Rahil has been a great source of entertainment for us. We used to watch for several years but this year he has improved a lot. He is swift, fast and strong now,” said a group of locals at Tahab.
Rahil plays for different teams in South Kashmir on call. “I play wherever I get a call. Village teams call me when they have tough matches or semi finals or the finals,” he said.
It may be recalled that the Jammu and Kashmir led administration has pumped in a huge amount of money for upliftment of sports infrastructure in rural areas with as many as 100 stadiums developed in twin districts of Pulwama and Shopian districts.