Zubair’s India dream

“I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful. It’s just that the BSF team wanted to make a good impression with their seniors and kept saying they would beat us easily. After the first goal,I wanted to prove that we weren’t pushovers,” said the 20-year-old striker,the youngest member of the squad.

As a child growing up near Srinagar’s Bakshi Stadium,it is easy to imagine his heroes to be local soccer stars Mehrajuddin Wadoo (former India international) or even Ishfaq Ahmed (former Mohun Bagan captain),but it wasn’t. Instead,Zubair grew up idolising Baichung Bhutia. “When I started playing,there was never any role model from Kashmir. Mehraj and Ishfaq came much later,” he says.

A prodigous talent,Zubair made his senior level debut at 16 in the Santosh Trophy. The 2007 tournament also gave him his first chance to interact with Mehraj and Ishfaq and Zubair admits he learnt a lot from them. But the person he credits most for shaping up his career is Arun Malhotra,the former India international from J&K. “It was only on his recommendation that I was given admission to the Mohun Bagan Academy. Whenever I have any difficulties,he is the one who still helps me out,” he says.

Forced return

However,Zubair’s stint with Bagan didn’t work out – the weather did not suit him and he fell sick – and Zubair had to return home. But despite his efforts,he is unable to pursue his footballing desires full-time,given the political situation in the state.

“It isn’t easy to be a footballer in Kashmir. There have been times when I have been unable to train because of the unrest on the streets,but you get used to these things. If you are a Kashmiri,you know how to manage your life in these situations. But I want to make it clear that it is not impossible to play football in Srinagar. Through my achievements,I want people to know that Kashmir can be in the news for reasons other than violence,” he says.

That wouldn’t be possible in this tournament,though. J&K Bank lost the match on penalties after Mandeep Singh equalised for BSF in the 63rd minute. With the tournament being a knock-out affair,the defeat sent J&K Bank out of the tournament,but he hasn’t lost hope. “I was hoping that I could impress one of the big teams here. Right now,I am in talks with Mumbai FC. Inshallah it will work out. But ultimately,I want to play for Mohun Bagan. And I want to play for India some day,” he signs off.

Results: Bhawanipur FC bt Army Green 0-0 (3-1 pen); BSF bt J&K Bank 1-1 (5-4 pen)