Tough times make Rashid Khan the champion he is

Rashid Khan is the one name every cricket all the experts, analysts and pundits are talking about right now. He’s not only done well for Afghanistan but also for the T20 league franchise he has represented. It is not just the wickets count but the kind of impact he creates even if he just bowls 4 overs in the match. Rashid is a complete package, extremely active on the field and someone who can smack the ball as well.

He recently represented Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is prepping up for the T20I series against Bangladesh following which Afghanistan play their first ever Test match against India. Rashid might be the second most popular Afghan citizen at the moment but it was a tough start for him. He lived as a refugee in Pakistan with his family in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

The backyard was where he played most of his cricket but the skills he learned there are tough for the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to deal with. Rashid considered himself more of a batsman who could occasionally bowl leg-spin and is currently the top-ranked bowler in T20I format. It was his success with the ball in domestic cricket that prompted the team to drop him down in the batting order and thus he started to focus on his bowling.

Had on facilities growing up

“From the beginning, my family was fine. We had everything. A house. A car,” he told Mumbai Mirror.

“I had no facilities growing up. Mostly, I played with my brothers. We played with a tennis ball. I haven’t even played that much domestic cricket. All my practice took place in the house with my brothers… that’s how I improved …” the 19-year-old said.

He had a magnificent IPL stint and picked up 21 wickets in 17 matches, more importantly, he took some really good catches, was always in action on the field and also responded with the bat in the Qualifier 2 against KKR when the team really needed it.

In the last one year from the time he made his IPL debut, Rashid has grown a lot and that shows also in the way he conducts himself. Afghanistan will want this star to do well against India in their maiden Test and that can really open up the contest.

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