Sweat trickled down Rashid Khan’s jersey as he walked into the press centre on the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday night to deal with the media forward of Gujarat Titans’ final dwelling Indian Premier League fixture in opposition to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The Afghan all-rounder was late by an hour, and as a handful of media personnel current on the venue waited for the interplay, visibly impatient, a nonchalant Rashid got here in, took a sip of water and wiped his face. Over the final hour or so, he was busy batting within the nets, together with Abhinav Manohar. The two batted for some time in turns, and Rashid made certain that he was prepared for Monday’s outing.
The Afghan spin bowling all-rounder gave a reminder of his batting capacity within the earlier recreation in opposition to Mumbai Indians when he smashed an unbeaten 79 off 32 balls, the very best rating ever notched up by a No.8 batter within the historical past of the T20 league. It was additionally his maiden fifty within the IPL. Even as wickets tumbled on the different finish, Rashid didn’t cease his carnage. He whacked the MI bowlers all around the Wankhede Stadium. It was an unimaginable batting effort, and Rashid is having fun with his freshly minted position, batting down the order at No.7 or No.8.
So far within the event, Rashid batted solely in 4 innings and amassed 95 runs at a mean of 95.00 and with an impressive strike charge of 243.59.
Now, with the IPL heading into its final leg, Rashid needs to maintain himself prepared for no matter batting alternatives come his method. He doesn’t need to tweak his batting place. “I am so happy to be batting at No.7 or No.8. When the team needs big runs, I feel I can deliver. I get enough opportunities in the nets to prepare for those positions where I get about 12 to 15 balls and I try to score the maximum for the team,” Rashid instructed Sportstar.
Rashid Khan performs a reverse sweep in opposition to Mumbai Indians on the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.
Rashid, arguably one of many most interesting spinners on the earth now, is not any stranger to taking part in cameos at worldwide cricket. In the 86 ODIs for Afghanistan, Rashid has scored 1134 runs, which included 5 fifties. Even in ODIs, he has 361 runs underneath his belt, whereas his tally goes as much as 106 in 5 Tests. And, most of those runs have are available whereas batting decrease down the order.
“I have never thought of batting up the order. We already have those quality batters, who can give us good strike rates at any time. For me, No.7 or No.8 is the best position to bat at, at the moment. And, I am just enjoying playing there,” Rashid defined.
After transferring to Gujarat Titans final season from Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rashid had a protracted chat with Titans head coach Ashish Nehra, who ensured that the communication was clear and each participant knew about their roles. “Ashish bhai kept it very simple for us as a team. He made us realise that we should do what we need to do. Everyone is a professional, and they know what’s to be done. Everyone has played enough cricket, so they know what suits them,” Rashid mentioned.
“If you feel that you need one hour of practice, you do it. If you want to train for two or three hours, you go for it. There’s no restriction. It’s not like you can only bat for 20 or 30 minutes and someone wants to bat more. Things are left to the players to decide how long they need to be in the nets. That helps…”
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Ever since taking cost because the Titans coach, Nehra has put gamers’ pursuits first and has given the gamers sufficient room to really feel comfy. “It has been made clear by him from day one that as long as you don’t feel satisfied, you can practice as much as you want to. And, that certainly has been a huge boost.”
So far, it has been a season to recollect for Rashid as he tops the wicket-takers record with 23 scalps from 12 outings. And including gloss to glory, the 24-year-old has additionally allowed his willow to do the speaking!
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com