The under-19 Indian team which won the World Cup last Sunday had only one player from Bombay: Iqbal Abdulla. The left-arm spinner had a 10-wicket haul in Malaysia, and was given the onerous task of ferrying the trophy from Bangalore, where the team landed, and handing it over to the BCCI authorities in Bombay. The class XII arts student hid the Cup in the kitchen of his 350-square foot flat in notorious Kurla.
Devendra Pandey reports in The Indian Express:
“With fame and some money pouring in, Abdulla is keen to change a few things. Like getting a first-class pass to travel in Bombay’s local trains instead of the second-class one which he says is a “pain”. As a newcomer to Bombay, he used to be thrilled watching planes take off and land at the airport as his house was on the flight path. Later this week, he will be putting his parents on a plane home, their first flight.”
His parents, Raj Thackeray kindly note, are from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. Abdulla was spotted and brought to Bombay four years ago by an eager coach, and made his Ranji trophy debut last year.
churumuri 
Bravo!
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Came to Amchchi Mumbai just 4 years back, that too a Muslim from UP. And he was the only one from our Mumbai in the U-19 team that came with the winners trophy. How can that be Raj Thackerayjee….. Raj jee would you pleaase go and check out the list in BCCI office again…..or shouldn’t you send BCCI back to Kolkata again..for not done anything for our Amchchi Mumbai:-).
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Look at ‘Iqbal Abdulla’ comment. He says travelling second class is pain. Why it is pain. Anybody traveled thru second class in mumbai local knows it better. I was lucky that I need not required to travel on train while my 4 yrs stay in mumbai. But one day I require to travel by local during morning peak hour. I took second class ticket & went to platform. There was huge rush & I not dare to board a train for first 3 trains. Then somehow I catch 4th train only to get place for standing in door. The push from inside was so huge that my hand start paining. Next station I left that train & went to ticket window to purchase first class ticket which is 6 times expensive. This was before 4 yrs.
Raj is exactly putting this point though using wrong way. People coming to mumbai just like that & straining infrastructure unnecessary. If we want to stop this ‘pain’ of second class then we sould stop people pouring in mumbai from poor parts of country.
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My old friend, the poet C.P. Surendran, proclaims:
“The Thackerays, both young and old, are wielding a stick that is about to break. To tap the pride and the perceived wrongs of a community is intellectually the laziest thing to do.”
See: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/The_Manoos_too_is_weeping/articleshow/2788669.cms
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iqbal was brought to mumbai n then he shined. before he came to mumbai he didnt know how to play cricket? then why didnt coaches over there picked him up? this is a perfect example of how UP is a failed state. btw he was not only player from mumbai in u-19 team. a guy called saurabh was also there in the same team who was from mumbai
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I did not understand this article’s intent. It was Mumbai which gave Iqbal fame. A friend of mine whom I met in US, introduced himself to an American as a person from Rajasthan even after staying in Bangalore for the past 16 years. That is what will happen with Iqbal too.
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here people should appreciate this young boy and his feats rather than criticise what he feels about the 2nd class compartment in the local train
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