Cannot afford to bowl full to Andre Russell, claims Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan, in a conversation with Yuzvendra Chahal, explained his thought process of keeping the ball short with variations, while bowling to someone like Andre Russell. Rashid also praised ‘explosive’ Rishabh Pant’s ability to play different shots, something that makes him a difficult opponent.
Rashid Khan has been an exceptional player in the IPL ever since he was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad. In his three years with the franchise, he has never finished a season with less than 17 wickets with an average economy of a mere 6.55. But it is not just franchise cricket where he has established himself as a star. On the international level, the Afghan holds the top spot on ICC’s bowling rankings for T20I cricket.
Speaking to Chahal, the star leggie, when asked about how to bowl to a power-hitter like Andre Russell, replied that variations and short balls are the mantra that he follows.
"I try to bowl back of a length to them. I try to take them to the back foot. They need to be confused, bowl them wrong uns, leg spinners and mix it up. I never bowl full to them. You need to bowl back of a length," Rashid revealed.
Rashid might be a young star in the IPL but he certainly is not the only one. Young Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has been in exceptional touch for Delhi Capitals over the last two seasons where he has averaged an incredible 52.61 and 37.53 respectively. Admiring Pant’s abilities, Rashid said that possessing all the shots in the book is what makes the young Delhi man a very dangerous player.
"I have played with him at the U-19 level and he was always explosive. He has every shot in the book. It becomes difficult to bowl to batsmen who have all the shots in the book," Rashid remembered.
Following their talk, Rashid and Chahal embarked on a test to figure out a combined XI based on just Indian and Afghan players.
The XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rahmat Shah, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya/Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
