Successfully battling fitness problems and spotfixing allegations, Pakistan's young opener Nasir Jamshed has emerged as a herofor Pakistan in the ongoing One-Day International series against India.
The 23-year-old left-hander has cracked back to backhundreds in the first two games setting his side on road to a ODI series win onIndian soil after seven years.
Having struck all three of his ODI hundreds against India,Jamshed has become a nemesis of sorts for the current world champions' bowlers.
The aggressive batsman has also got his name in the recordbooks, becoming the only cricketer after Zaheer Abbas to fire three consecutivehundreds in India-Pakistan limited over engagements.
However, there is one difference. Zaheer got the hat-trickof hundreds in the 1982-83 series. But the Lahore-born Jamshed achieved thefeat in a space of nine months.
He scored his maiden ODI hundred March last year in the AsiaCup at Dhaka. The 104-ball 112 and his 224-run first wicket stand with MohammedHafeez, however, was in a losing cause as India romped to a four-wicket win.
But the hundreds in the unfinished series on Indian soilhave come in happier circumstances.
In the series opener at Chennai, Jamshed slammed 101 runsoff 132 balls at a time when the Pakistani batsmen seemed in trouble facingrookie pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar's swinging deliveries. It was largely due to hisknock that Pakistan coasted to a six-wicket win.
Again at the Eden Gardens Thursday, Jamshed scored amasterly 124-ball 106 and stitched together a 141-run stand with fellow openerMohammed Hafeez that laid the foundation for Pakistan's victory. The real valueof the innings can be gauged if one considers the fact that there was not evenanother fifty partnership in the visitors' essay.
However, only a year earlier, Jamshed's career seemed indanger when he was playing the Bangladesh Premier League. His mobile number andbank details were allegedly found from the cellphone of an arrested man, saidto be a bookie.
But Jamshed, backed by the Pakistan Cricket Board, foughtagainst the allegations and ultimately got his name cleared.
Four years back in 2008, Jamshed made his debut forPakistan, but very soon his fitness came under the scanner and he also seemedoverweight. As a result, he missed the cut for the national side in Twenty20tourney in Canada, and an ODI series against the West Indies.
All that is now history, and at this moment Jamshed isclearly enjoying his game. More so, after getting the Man of the Match award atthe Eden.
"I just enjoy my batting, last time I missed the Man ofthe Match but luckily this time they gave it to me. I just kept my cool. Pitchwas little bit slow, and I just played according to the ball. It was dream toplay in the ground," he said after the game.
Skipper Misbah-ul Haq was all praise. "He has a superbtemperament and can play long innings. He is an exceptional talent and is agood prospect for Pakistan."
Jamshed found another admirer in former Pakistan captainIntikhab Alam.
"Jamshed was a injury prone guy but is an exceptionaltalent. I am really very pleased with him. We are very lucky to have him in theteam. It is good to see him fulfilling the expectations that we all have fromhim," he said.
Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni, on the receiving end of Jamshed'sheroics, conceded it was a challenge to stop him.
"It is important for a batsman when he gets a start tostay for long and allow the team to play around him. That is what he has done.He took calculated risks and batted with good composure. He batted reallywell," said the Indian wicketkeeper batsman.
Jamshed has aggregated 815 runs in 20 ODIs, averaging 47.94.
And with the sort of consistency he has shown, it is likelythe cricketing world will hear a lot about him in the years to come.