Dubai: Teenage leg-spinner Rashid Khan has won many a hearts with a dream debut at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday through an impressive spell for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday.
Rashid, the 18-year-old who hails from war-torn Afghanistan, ended the opening partnership between Chris Gayle and Mandeep Singh after the pair had put on 52 runs in just 5.4 overs. Rashid had Mandeep clean bowled for 24 and also picked up the wicket of Travis Head, who scored 30.
Speaking to Gulf News, Lalchand Rajput, the former Indian opener who is the coach of the Afghanistan team, said: “Rashid has started playing in the IPL with a bang. While taking those two wickets he never showed any signs of nervousness. He looked very calm and composed and his body language showed as if it was not his first match, but he has played in many matches.”
Hyderabad skipper David Warner, too, showered praise on Rashid and said: “What a fantastic prospect. On the world stage, in the IPL environment, it was fantastic stuff from him. He was a little nervous, but I told him to back himself.”
Rajput, who boosted Rashid’s confidence and has been instrumental in projecting the calibre of the leg-spinner, went on to add: “What impressed me about his debut is the fact that he was not overawed by the crowd and the special ambience of the IPL. He played as if he had been playing in the IPL for a number of years. He looked confident and positive and this will help him a lot.”
Rashid is already being talked about by other opponents as a dangerous bowler to tackle in the IPL. He has become an overnight millionaire after Hyderabad bought him for Rs40 million ($616,900) in the auction. In fact he became the most expensive associate player in the IPL. Incidentally, Rashid hails from a family of seven brothers and four sisters.
Rashid was even surprised by the amount he got for playing in the IPL and admitted that he did not even expect to be selected. He has many fans in the UAE due to his match-wining spell here for Afghanistan.
Rashid, soon after being bought by IPL, expressed his delight at playing for Hyderabad as the team has his childhood hero Yuvraj Singh. And interestingly, in his debut match, it was Yuvraj who won the man of the match award through his breezy 62.
Rashid is also delighted with the support staff, which is made up of legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and also player-turned-coaches like V.V.S. Laxman and Tom Moody. All three he adored during their playing days. From 34 Twenty20 matches, Rashid has bagged 58 wickets.
