Sachin Tendulkar reveals how he would bat against Rashid Khan

Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan is shining bright with his exceptional performance with the ball in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020). He has emerged as a triumph card of the IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad. Flaunting his leg-spin masterclass and variations, Rashid stands sixth in the charts of the Purple Cap Holder with 17 wickets in 12 fixtures. In SRH’s last game against Delhi Capitals, the Afghan spinner had bowled a scintillating spell of 3/7 to guide SRH to an emphatic 88-run triumph.

Owing to his heroics in the limited-overs format, the 22-year-old was recently praised by the Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar. Hailing Rashid as a world-class bowler, Sachin heaped praises on him for his googly and variations. The veteran added that Rashid is an unpredictable bowler and one can never guess what he is gonna bowl next.

“Rashid is a world-class bowler. I’ve never played him but whatever I’ve seen & heard about him, the way he disguises his googly, very few batsmen can pick it. So, with a world-class bowler, you can never guess what ball he’s going to bowl I’ve never played him so whenever I’ve seen him, it is the rear angle that I see him from,” said Tendulkar on his YouTube channel.

Maybe I can request Rashid Khan to bowl at me in the nets: Sachin Tendulkar

Further in the video, Master Blaster also revealed how he would play the leg-spinner to save his wicket and score runs. Though Sachin admitted that he can’t precisely tell the technique of facing Rashid as he hasn’t faced the Afghan player yet, he added that one should observe the run-up and hand movement of Rashid while he is bowling.

“It’s important to see the bowler’s grip, bowlers also hide their grip many times. One thing they can’t hide is how they release the ball. This way or that way, all this happens very quickly. But sometimes, you take some time to pick what the bowler is trying to do. I’d observe his run-up, how his arm is when he bowls,” Tendulkar said.

“You’d get some pointers what’s happening, even in the air which way the ball is spinning. I’ve never played him so I can’t precisely tell you that– ‘Yes this is the way to play him’. You don’t know till you play him. Maybe I can request him to bowl at me in the nets so I can understand his bowling,” he concluded.