Shadab Khan picks Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith as toughest batsmen he has ever faced

After breaking into the Pakistan side three years ago, 21-year-old Shadab Khan has emerged as a vital cog for the Men in Green. Shadab has delivered decent performances both with the bat and the ball and in a career spanning over three years now, the all-rounder has encountered many legendary players.

Recently, the Pakistan all-rounder was asked to pick the toughest batsmen that he has bowled to. Shadab, who has faced many great batsmen during his stint with the national side, picked the name of two top-ranked batsmen– Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith.

Both Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith have etched their name into the record books by playing several important knocks for their national sides. They have decimated many bowling attacks and Shadab feels that he has struggled at times against the likes of Rohit and Smith. In the modern era, bowlers are often dominated by the explosiveness of batsmen and Shadab was at the receiving end on some occasions.

The 21-year-old appeared on a Youtube channel and stated that he finds it difficult to play against Steve Smith because of the Australian conditions. Shadab feels that pitches in Australia don’t favour spin bowling and hence, his job becomes difficult on the Aussie soil. Moreover, facing one of the best batsmen in the world makes the job tougher.

Shadab Khan represented Islamabad United in PSL 2020

Meanwhile, Shadab also added that along with Smith, he considers Rohit Sharma as the most difficult batsman to bowl to. India-Pakistan encounters are always filled up with competitiveness, excitement and pressure. Hence, the margin of error against Indian batsmen– especially against Rohit Sharma– is very low. Every single mistake against the prolific Indian opener could prove costly according to Shadab.

Shadab was recently seen donning the Islamabad United jersey in Pakistan Super League where he delivered impressive performances with the bat and the ball. The right-hander amassed three half-centuries in the tournament along with picking up eight wickets. Shadab boasts an impressive all-round record with Pakistan national side too. In 43 ODIs, he has mustered 337 runs along with scalping 59 wickets while in the shortest format of the game, he has amassed 122 runs and has scalped 48 wickets.