Leaving Ranchi, waiting tables, rolling sushi — now, Mumbai Ranji debut

“For me, reaching Mumbai wasn’t the problem but survival was,” Umair told The Indian Express. “I came with Rs 5,500 and soon it was almost over. A friend of mine, with whom I shared a room, advised me that I can do catering work… thoda kharcha nikal jayega (It would take care of some of my expenses).”

At the age of 17, it was a late start for the Ranchi boy, and his parents weren’t thrilled that he wanted to take up cricket. They laid down a condition — he needed to clear his Class X exams. His father worked in Saudi Arabia and had returned home, and his mother pleaded with him to look for a real job. Umair finally went to his uncle to convince them that cricket could take off.

In Mumbai, Irfan met a local coach, Prashant Shetty, who saw him bowling at Shivaji Park and spoke to MIG, a well-known club in Bandra East. But off the pitch, Umair’s first day waiting tables left him in tears. “Have you ever been a waiter?” he asked in a choked voice. “I was given a costume with a starter in one hand. It was the worst day of my life. I cried when I came back to my room. I asked myself, ‘what have you come here to do, and what are you doing’? I didn’t tell my family but I had no choice other than that to earn a living,” he recalled, adding that he used to earn Rs 300 a day.

Cricket could throw some more curveballs. Umair was not familiar with the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) rule that an outsider wanting to play for Mumbai needed to be a resident for at least one year, with valid proof of stay, to get registered. Umair scrambled to put together the documents, getting his address changed “somehow”. Yet, playing for Mumbai was possible only a year after registration. Another endless delay and back to square one.

“Earlier, I used to do catering during weekends but then I started to do it on weekdays, too. I had to pay Rs 8,000 to the agent who helped me get the documents done. I had no money for the next month so I did double shifts in catering jobs,” he said.

Mumbai Ranji captain Shardul Thakur says Umair is hungry to perform. (Photo: Special Arrangement)

Then Covid struck. Umair was stranded in Mumbai, like many. His family advised him to stay back, but survival was a challenge. His roommate had a credit card, which he used for both of them to survive, not knowing at the time that interest on the payment would only prolong their ordeal.

“Every month, we used to pay more than Rs 3,500 in interest alone. It was big money for us. Thankfully, my friend got a job abroad and he paid it off. I told him that I would pay my share whenever I get the money,” Umair said. But the years were running out and uncertainty loomed. He decided to change his club from Islam Gymkhana to CCI and got a job at an East Asian restaurant in Bandra where he learned to prepare sushi.

Playing at the posh CCI, his teammates came in fancy cars. Often, they asked him to hang out with them. “I didn’t have money, so how could I have gone out with them? At some point, I would have had to pay, at least my share, so I always said I had work,” Umair recalled.

At that point, someone suggested he play tennis ball cricket as a professional to earn extra money. Soon, Irfan earned fame on the circuit and everyone wanted him on their team. Then, a tennis ball cricket championship, Indian Street Premier League (ISPL), took place and he was sold for Rs 16 lakh to Falcon Risers Hyderabad. “It helped me leave the kitchen and focus on cricket,” Umair said. He still remembers his last paycheck at the kitchen: Rs 12,000.

Back in club cricket, he was performing consistently and was picked during a talent hunt organised by MCA where senior selection committee chairman Sanjay Patil saw him and included him in Mumbai’s senior team as a net bowler. Last season, he was picked for selection trials. But fate tested him again — on the day of the trials, his landlord asked him to vacate his room, saying he was returning home late due to his late shift at work. Umair didn’t turn up for the trials. Another opportunity gone.

Then came the Mumbai T20 League. “I met (former India cricketer) Abhishek Nayar there and that was when things changed. He backed me and told me that I just need to keep the hard work going. I was later picked for the Mumbai team, which played the Buchi Babu and KSCA invitational tournament. Now I feel all that hard work has paid off, now I hope to do well,” he said, the excitement obvious.

Mumbai Ranji captain Shardul Thakur says Umair is hungry to perform.

“He comes from a humble background and is hungry for performance. It is very visible and evident whenever he plays on the ground. He has been a consistent performer in CCI, and did pretty well in KSCA and Buchi Babu on slow tracks. And, as a left-arm seamer, he brings extra value to our team,” Thakur said.