Rasool will do well for India A in SA tour: Omar

Having expressed his disappointment at the non-inclusion of Jammu and Kashmir all-rounder Perveez Rasool in the playing XI during the recently concluded Zimbabwe series, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today hoped that the talented youngster will get a chance to showcase his talent during India 'A' upcoming tour of South Africa.
"Obviously, our feelings were hurt (over Rasool not getting a game during the Zimbabwe tour)...But then if not for India, let it be India A. What he could not do in Zimbabwe, he can do it in South Africa," Omar told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
Omar, an avid cricket follower, had lashed out at the BCCI for not fielding Rasool in any of the five ODI games against Zimbabwe.

"Did you really have to take him all the way to Zimbabwe to demoralise him? Wouldn't it have been cheaper to just do it at home?" Omar had expressed his feelings in a sarcastic tweet after Rasool was not included in the last game against the minnows on August 3.
Asked about his tweet, Omar said, "I have said what I had to. Some people didn't like it but I did not say that as a Chief Minister but as a citizen of the state."
He said more than disappointment he was "pained" that Rasool was the only player among the 15-members who didn't get a chance to play a single game.

Rasool shot to fame with a brilliant all-round performance in the Ranji Trophy last season by scoring 594 runs and grabbing 33 wickets. His selection to national squad was fast-tracked after he took seven wickets in one innings of a tour game against visiting Australians earlier this year.