In Karachi, one man spins dreams of beating his idols

Now, he’s preparing to take on the mighty Indian batting line-up, topped by the man he rates highest: Rahul Dravid. And Dravid’s brilliant 99 on Saturday only reinforced the point for Kaneria. ‘‘He is the player. People talk about Sachin and Ganguly. But Dravid is the backbone and he, with Laxman to some extent, are India’s best batsmen.’’ And so with every shot, he cheered Dravid and tried making his wife Dharmita understand the game. Though Dharmita just giggles and looks at him with a quizzical look, each time he tries to do so and asks ‘‘hoon su matay (why me)?’’

The Kanerias, a typically Gujarati joint family from Surat, have lived in Karachi for generations. Surprisingly, though, they’ve never had a close interaction with an Indian.

Danish is clear about one thing: his religion has never been an impediment in his performance. ‘‘I know people talk about it. But I will just continue doing my job,’’ he says.

Does the responsibility of leading the spin attack pose a heavy burden? ‘‘Sab bhagwan ka shukra hai (all by god’s grace),’’ he says, pointing in the direction of the temple room. ‘‘It does mean pressure but the thrill in performing lies in doing it under pressure. I am glad there is so much responsibility for me.’’

Kaneria informs that the men whom he replaced are also pretty cool with his new role. ‘‘Saqi bhai and Mushi bhai are so helpful. Mushi bhai helped me when we were playing South Africa. He was in the team, but he was constantly concerned about me and would come over each time I would have a problem.’’

But ask him about missing the one-day squad and he smiles and asks ‘‘Why is a leg-spinner always considered misfit for one-day cricket?’’. He then points towards a photograph of Warne in his cabinet. ‘‘Isn’t he successful in both forms of the game. I am sure if I am a regular in one-day cricket, I can do well. Leg-spinners are expensive but once they start picking wickets, they can be dangerous.’’

Specifically, Danish is looking at India with one goal. ‘‘Since childhood I had this dream of playing against India and doing well. If you do well against India you are automatically guaranteed stardom,’’ he says, only half in jest.

Also in his mind is the chance he will get to meet Anil Kumble. ‘‘Anil Kumble is a great bowler different from the rest. I would certainly like to have a discussion with him and exchange ideas.’’ Though the Karachiite’s idol is Abdul Qadir, he rates Shane Warne as the best leg-spinner. ‘‘I want to be like him. He has achieved a lot, my dream is to break his record and claim more wickets than him.’’

As one gets up to leave, Danish’s mother tries offering something to eat and says her dream is to visit Shirdi. ‘‘Inshallah I shall make it soon,’’ she says. And Danish tells her that he will take her for the Pakistan tour of India next year.