Parvez Rasool, Shubham Khajuria would bring laurels to J&K: Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday expressed confidence that cricketers Parveez Rasool and Shubham Khajuria would bring laurels to the state through good performance in the international arena.

"They would bring laurels to the Jammu and Kashmir state by their outstanding performance," Omar said while chairing a meeting of the Jammu District Development Board here.

Young all-rounder Rasool created history by becoming the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to be named in the Indian team as the selectors opted to rest captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and four other key players for the upcoming ODI tour of Zimbabwe.

The 24-year-old Rasool, who has been in contention for national selection for a while now after a string of impressive performances, got the nod in the 15-member squad with the selectors preferring to go in with a young team for the five-match ODI series, to be held from July 24 to August 3 at Harare and Bulawayo.

Khajuria is only the second cricketer from the state to be picked for the India under-19 team for the tour of Sri Lanka. Before Khajuria, the last player from Jammu and Kashmir to play for India colts was lanky pacer Abid Nabi.

Union Minister and JKCA President Dr Farooq Abdullah has announced a cash reward of Rs two lakh for Khajuria in recognition of his outstanding performance at the national level and his subsequent selection in the India under-19 team for the Lanka tour.