I have become a better player post Zimbabwe tour: Rasool

New Delhi: The Bangladesh tour will be his second stint with the Indian team and Parveez Rasool feels he has become a better cricketer in the interim period having led Jammu and Kashmir from the front.

"Obviously, you play cricket because you want to represent India. It was a dream come true when I was selected for the Zimbabwe tour. This time it`s more of a relief that I am back where I want to belong," Rasool told PTI over phone from Srinagar today after he was named in the 15-member squad for a three-match ODI series in Bangladesh. He thinks it was his performance for Jammu and Kashmir in the last Ranji Trophy season, where they lost to Punjab in a hard-fought quarter-final, that clinched the issue for him. "I firmly believe good performance in Ranji Trophy never goes unnoticed. I had scored close to 600 runs and taken more than 35 wickets. If I am in the Indian team, it is because of my performances for J&K. Some of them were match-winning performances. I was unlucky that my century and five-wicket haul against Punjab went in-vain," said the `Poster Boy` of J&K. He also feels that being appointed captain the state team changed him as a player. "Being captain means that you have to lead by example. We had to do something special and I had to shoulder more responsibility. That made me a better cricketer," admits Rasool. He was a bit guarded when asked about his chances of making the playing eleven in Bangladesh. "That`s a decision of the team management. My job is to remain ready for the opportunity." He said that he is working on carrom ball to add a new weapon in his armoury. "My stock ball is off -break but I am also keen on developing a good carrom ball. For that, you need big palms and lot of strength in your fingers. Inshallah, I possess both qualities," Rasool said.