CHENNAI: Like his famed cousin, Aslam Sher Khan, India's original super sub and hockey World Cup winner and Olympian, Bhopal's Ayaan Mohammed Khan along with his elder brother Amaan Mohammed Khan wanted to represent the country at the highest level.
Around a dozen from his extended family including Ahmed Sher Khan, Aslam's father and 1936 Olympic gold medallist, had already played hockey at the national and international level by then adding to the rich legacy of the family. With cricket gaining popularity following India's historic triumph in the 1983 World Cup, the duo picked up cricket bats instead of hockey in the 90s.
After playing age-group cricket for Madhya Pradesh, Ayaan even broke into the senior state squad for the Ranji Trophy but warmed the bench before making his debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the 2015-16 season. His only wicket from the match came when 2021 IPL sensation Venkatesh Iyer took a catch off his bowling to dismiss Assam's Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad.
However, the opportunities started to dry up and in 2017 he decided to migrate to Oman in search of a better future in cricket. "It was a tough call as he was already 25 by then and he wanted to play regularly, which is why he moved there," brother Amaan told this daily from Bhopal.
The 29-year-old Ayaan served the three-year cooling-off period playing domestic cricket in Oman and last month made his entry into the national team on the basis of good performances in local cricket.
While he made his ODI debut against Nepal last month, he played his first T20I on Sunday in the T20 World Cup as Oman crushed debutants Papua New Guinea by 10 wickets in Al Amerat, Muscat. He didn't get to bat or bowl but took a catch off pacer Bilal Khan to dismiss Simon Atai.
"Despite playing for Madhya Pradesh, he was not selected in the Bhopal team. He even thought of giving up the sport but our coach Jyoti Prakash Tyagi convinced him to hang on. Tyagi sir instead asked him to move to Oman and ensured a smooth passage for him through one of his acquaintances there. Soon he was offered a job by Muscat-based Khimji Ramdas Group (KR) and got a two-year job visa for the country," added Amaan.
A left-hand middle-order batter and slow left-arm orthodox spinner, Ayaan has also played five ODIs for Oman scoring 106 runs and scalping eight wickets so far. Besides, he has represented Oman in four T20s — two played against Sri Lanka and one each against Namibia and the Netherlands — in the lead up to the event.
"He always wanted to play cricket at the highest level and it would have been great to see him playing for India. But representing Oman in the T20 World Cup is also a big achievement especially because he is living his dream by playing cricket."
Ayaan last visited Bhopal to attend Amaan's wedding before the pandemic led to global lockdown last year. The brother hopes Ayaan comes calling soon — this time enriched with the experience of playing at the highest level.