Bowling to Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Andre Russell and Chris Gayle on small grounds: Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan is one of the first three cricketers from Afghanistan to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Rather he has been one of the most sought after players in the T20 leagues across the world and has dominated the batsmen almost everywhere. However, he has also been at the receiving end at times while bowling to some of the superstar batsmen.

In an Instagram live with Yuzvendra Chahal, Rashid admitted bowling to the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Andre Russell and Chris Gayle is very tough especially on small grounds. He cited that the pitches are also so flat and all these things come in mind before the match itself.

“Bowling to Virat bhai, ABD, Russell and Chris Gayle is very tough on small grounds. You don’t get much support from the wicket and boundaries are short too so before the match these things come in mind,” the leg-spinner said. Rashid Khan, however, relishes the challenge to play in the IPL and also added that it was his dream to play in the cash-rich league.

“It was a dream to play in IPL, I grew up watching it on TV. All the international players are there in the league. The coaching staff too is very experienced,” he added.

Rashid Khan recalls his IPL debut

Rashid Khan first played in the IPL in 2017 and made his debut against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Recalling the moment, the 21-year-old stated he was extremely nervous when the ball was handed over to him and also remembers getting smacked for a boundary of his very first delivery. However, Rashid gained confidence after getting his first wicket.

His opening scalp was Mandeep Singh in the sixth over of the innings when the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were defending 208 runs. My debut was against you guys (RCB). I got hit for boundary for the first ball. It was a tough match for me as there was dew in the ground. I was nervous, when I got my first wicket I gained confidence and after getting the second wicket I was enjoying the bowling,” he told Chahal during the session.

As for the match, SRH won it by 25 runs with Rashid Khan returning with the figures of 2/36 in his four overs. After Mandeep, he nipped out Travis Head at a crucial juncture of the game.