Jonny Bairstow believes Adil Rashid will be remembered for his bowling for a long time

Bairstow and Adil Rashid have been playing together for Yorkshire since they were teenagers. While Bairstow grew up being an all-format player for England, Rashid last year decided to pen down a "white-ball only" deal with Yorkshire. However, after his terrific performances in the ODI series against India, he was called up to the Test squad, which sparked a lot of outrage in English cricket circuit. However, the Yorkshire wicket-keeper has thrown his weight behind Rashid and stated that the latter has grown over the years and is a much better bowler now. He stated that Rashid’s performances in the limited overs would help the spinner’s confidence in the longest format. 

“He has matured a lot. His performances clearly show how good he has become. I know he has not played a lot of red-ball cricket but if he bowls in a similar way on a consistent basis in the longest format, he will do well. He just needs to change his line and length according to the situation. The transition from white-ball cricket to red-ball cricket will be exciting for everyone,” Bairstow said at the launch of 'The Test Experts' Specsavers as Official Test partner for England.

Bairstow relinquished his duties behind the stumps to Jos Buttler during the T20Is and ODIs against India. The 28-year-old spoke about his fielding experience in the recently concluded series and said that he enjoyed the break from keeping, which he believes helped him mentally to keep the excitement level intact.

“I enjoyed fielding and it was good fun running around like a lunatic around the boundary. On the other hand, wearing gloves keeps me engaged. I have worked quite a lot over the years. It was a good break, to be honest. I feel mentally fresh and raring to go there and keep well,” he added.

Rashid claimed that the ball he bowled to completely outfox Virat Kohli was one of the best balls he has ever bowled at the highest level and that may have been a factor for his selection in the Test squad. Contrarily, Bairstow praised Rashid for all of his variations and stated that he (Rashid) will be remembered for his bowling and not just one delivery.

“It is not just one delivery for which he will get remembered for. He will be remembered for all the other deliveries he bowled. He bowled really well and I am happy for him. At the same time excited to watch him bowl with the red ball,” Bairstow said.