Hashim Amla’s first reaction on making it to the South African cricket team for the tour of India followed expected lines. ‘‘A dream come true. The most exciting day of my life’’. But there’s much more to this story than the excitement of a 21-year-old getting national honours.Amla’s inclusion made it a historic day for the growth of cricket as a multi-ethnic sport in South Africa. The right-handed batsman became the first player of Asian origin to make it to the Rainbow Squad, joining the whites, blacks and coloured cricketers.Amla, who has never visited India but has distant relatives in Surat and speaks a little bit of Gujarati, told The Indian Express from Johannesburg that making his international debut in the country of his origin made ‘‘everything all the more special.’’Besides the brown wickets and deadly spinners, Amla says he has also some other things in mind when he lands in India next month. ‘‘Meeting the people who share the culture as me, catching up with his relatives, absorbing the atmosphere and, if possible, a look at the Taj, are things on my mind right now,’’ he says.Did he expect this call? Hashim is non-committal but few neutrals would have doubted it. He’s in the middle of a dream season, one in which he became the first non-white captain of KwaZulu-Natal province, leading the likes of Lance Klusener. On the field, four hundreds at an average of about 90.All this, and a character strong enough to flaunt his religious identity. With his Saeed Anwar-like flowing beard, Amla, a devout Muslim, has never compromised on his faith while playing cricket. He fasts during Ramzan (he’d just broken the fast when we called him today), cricket match or not.Not just that, Hashim has secured special permission to play with a logo-free shirt on the Indian tour since the Safs team endorses a beer company. ‘‘The UCB has allowed me to drop the logo,’’ he says.Despite never touring India, Hashim got a first-hand experience of the Men in Blue during the World Cup last year. He and brother Ahmed were part of the Natal province side that Indians played at Pietermartizburg. Was he overrawed to play the mega stars of Indian cricket? ‘‘Not quite. I still cherish the moment but on the field I am very competitive. Finally, we are all cricketers, I don’t a give an inch on the field,’’ he said.Not even on Indian turf, as Ganguly and his men will find out.
