Dubai: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Afghanistan leg spinner Rashid Khan is only 19 years old but he has already played his 100th Twenty20 game while playing against Delhi Daredevils on Saturday where he also bagged the man of the match award.
It was the vital wickets he took of Prithvi Shaw and Rishabh Pant that put brakes on Delhi and ensured his team won by seven wickets.
Despite hailing from a war-torn country, Khan has inspired many youngsters to dream big and work hard to attain international fame.
Seventeen-year-old off spinner Mujeeb Ur Rehman, who is playing for Kings XI Punjab, is one such player following Khan’s footsteps from his country.
When asked how he felt playing so many matches at such a young age, he said: “Feels great to perform well and play 100 games. Want to be fit and play 100 more games.”
Khan is the pride of Afghanistan cricket fans in the UAE as they turn up to watch him play in Sharjah and Dubai regularly.
Totally aware that Afghanistan fans from all over the world are watching him in action, he remarked: “Playing in Hyderabad feels like playing in Afghanistan, the love and support they give me is amazing. It gives me the motivation to do well. I am so happy to give them something to cheer. Don’t know if there will be anyone in Afghanistan who is not watching the IPL. My family is also praying for me.”
Khan is already being hailed as one among the best leg spinners in the world today. His bowling is being closely monitored by every team yet no one has been able to find a way to tackle him. He has already bagged 147 wickets from his 100 Twenty20 matches and also picked his third man of the match award in the ongoing IPL.
Experts are unable to study his bowling because he is among the rare leg spinners who bowls from the back of the hand similar to googly bowlers.
Whenever Khan has been asked about his bowling he always says that his secret is about doing the basics right. His line and length has always been so accurate. For a 19-year-old with not much exposure, Khan speaks intelligently. When asked about his performance in the ongoing IPL he said: “I’ve been enjoying myself which is why I’ve been getting the Man of the Match awards. My main strength is my quick-arm action, which the batsmen can’t pick. I am just trying to take advantage of it. For me, it’s important to bowl on a good length and make it tougher for the batsmen.”
Khan is never upset whenever he gets hit for boundaries. “You don’t learn as a bowler until you are hit for runs.
“I try and bowl in a good length area as much as possible and that has helped produce good bowling figures.”
Brief scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad bt Delhi Daredevils by seven wkts. Delhi 163 for 5 in 20 overs (Prithvi Shaw 65, Shreyas Iyer 44, Rashid Khan 2 for 23) Hyderabad 163 for 5 in 19.5 overs (Alex Hales 45, Shikhar Dhawan 33, Kane Williamson 32n.o, Yusuf Pathan 27n.o) Man of the match: Rashid Khan.
