Ranji windfall: Khan hopes for perfect homecoming

The joy among Mumbai players knew no bounds when they clinched their 40th Ranji Trophy title by defeating Saurashtra on Monday. The delight was doubled when it was announced that they would receive a total cash rewards of Rs5 crore (Rs3 crore from the MCA and Rs2 crore from BCCI).

However, even as his teammates are planning a grand vacation or buying a swanky new car, Mumbai pacer Javed Khan has his priorities sorted. Only a few months ago, the youngster's father had passed away a night before Mumbai XI were to take on England in a practice match. Khan skipped his father's last rites, deciding to play for Mumbai at the DY Patil Stadium instead.

The tragedy left him and his family shattered. Inadvertently, the 22-year-old became the sole bread earner of his family. "The biggest problem was my father gave Rs7 lakh to a builder for a new flat in Mumbai. But the person ran away with the money. My father used to deal him and we never asked him any questions. We don't know much about that transaction. Even my father friend, who had an idea about it, is no more," Khan said.

On field, Khan kept his personal problems aside and bowled his heart out for Mumbai. In four matches he played in, Khan took 10 wickets and showed potential with the bat too, playing some useful cameos lower the order. In the hindsight, his 27 and 42 runs last-wicket stand with Kaustubh Pawar proved to be crucial for Mumbai during their league game against Madhya Pradesh in Indore.

His exclusion from the team in the semis and final raised quite a few eyebrows. His place was taken by under-25 teammate Shardul Thakur. "I could have done more but all these matches were pressure games for me. Bowling for Mumbai is always different thing, there is pressure and at the same time, I take pride to be part of it. I tried my best, I'm still learning. Every day I try to learn, I'm thankful to Ajit bhai for his support. I learnt lot from him," Khan said. There is no IPL contract for Khan yet but he is not worried. With the money he will get now, Khan is hoping to move from rented house to a new house. There is another important work to do - getting his sister married.

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