Mujeeb Zadran recalls watching YouTube videos of Narine and Mendis

16-year-old Mujeeb Zadran who has been creating an enigma recently got his first shot at the Indian Premier League. In an auction where the likes of Nathan Lyon and no.1 ranked T20 international bowler, Ish Sodhi went unsold, Zadran was bought for ₹4 crores by the Kings XI Punjab. Many Afghanistan players have faced enough hardships to make it all the way. However, Mujeeb had a comfortable ride when it came to financial terms. Raised by his mother’s family, he was brought up in a huge mansion which he describes had a big playground and a series of guesthouses.

‘I have watched YouTube videos of Narine and Mendis as to how they grip the ball’

Afghanistan cricketer Noor Zadran who is Mujeeb’s cousin set up an academy in his name. That’s where Mujeeb began training and started playing cricket at the age of 12. Later he started going to the Kost Province academy. He stated that his love for cricket began after watching the 2010 ICC World T20 where Afghanistan participated.

Further explaining what led him to become the spinning sensation he is today, Mujeeb Zadran shared an interesting account. Earlier he found it difficult to grip the ball. Eventually, he learned the art of gripping by watching videos of Sunil Narine and Ajantha Mendis.

“I started playing a lot of tape ball cricket. While bowling with that ball, I struggled to grip it, so I started flicking the ball with my fingers. Then, I watched some youtube videos of Sunil Narine and Ajantha Mendis and learned how they gripped the ball and flicked it with their middle finger.” He was quoted as saying by Midday.

However, it took a lot of practice before Mujeeb managed to master the art. “I started doing that and initially did not put power behind it. It would be like a flighted off-spinner, but slowly, and after a lot of practice, I eventually began to get some power behind my deliveries and was able to flick it harder”

With so many variations, Mujeeb Zadran is likely to create trouble for the batsmen. Also with the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin in the bowling ranks, it will be a great opportunity for the youngster to seek some wisdom. He would be raring to prove his potential in the IPL.

Here’s the KXIP full squad for IPL 2018

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