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The fans might have been waiting for the interesting duel between the experienced Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan and India’s teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but the hosts continued to back Sanju Samson for the first two T20Is of the ongoing three-match T20I series.
Samson was picked ahead of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and the senior wicketkeeper-batter delivered in the second game, hitting a match-winning century to help India to seal the T20I series 2-0 on September 15. Amid this, Abhishek Sharma makes a massive gain, Jasprit Bumrah enters top 10 in latest ICC rankings.
Rashid Khan heaps praise on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of final T20I
As India and Afghanistan gear up for the third and final T20I in Delhi, Rashid Khan has showered rich praise on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The star spinner has pointed out the left-handed batter’s incredible power for a player of his age.
Rashid said that hitting sixes against experienced bowlers and strong teams at such a young age is not easy. He also hailed Sooryavanshi’s aggressive mindset, saying the youngster always looks to score runs and keeps putting pressure on bowlers, which makes him difficult to control.
Rashid Khan was quoted as saying by NDTV, "The power he has is very special. Hitting those sixes at his age against bigger teams and experienced players is not an easy thing. He always shows a strong intent to score runs, and players like him are hard to stop. In those moments, you have to bring your best execution to the table. You cannot wander off; you must have clear plans and execute them.”
Rashid Khan reveals simple plan to stop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s big hitting
Against a batter like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Rashid believes that the bowler needs to stick to his plan and keep bowling in the right areas while tackling the players like Sooryavanshi instead of thinking too much about where the youngster might hit the ball.
The spinner added, “We know he is a highly skilled player with great power-hitting abilities. For me, the approach is simple: try my best to hit the right area consistently to make it hard for him. You cannot overthink where he might hit you or what you should do. Keep it simple.”
Rashid also feels Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has huge potential. The 15-year-old still has a long career ahead of him, and, according to Rashid, he can achieve big things for India as well as in the IPL. The Afghanistan spinner further noted, “He is a young player with immense talent and has a long way to go, and I think he is going to do wonders for India and his IPL team.”
Rashid Khan reveals his biggest T20 bowling mantra
Meanwhile, Rashid Khan has opined that modern T20 bowling is not only about taking wickets. He believes a bowler has to focus on both controlling runs and picking wickets, depending on the conditions and the batter. Amid this, 3 batters who can replace Shreyas Iyer at No.4 for West Indies ODI.
He explained that bowlers must first understand the pitch and the batter’s strengths before making a plan. Rashid also admitted that he had a couple of tough years in the IPL after back surgery, but once he returned to his best, he focused on bowling consistently in the right areas.
The spinner openly said that getting hit is part of the game, but a bowler should not lose confidence. Rashid signed off by saying, “The tougher the situation gets, the more I enjoy it. If you fail, you accept it and come back stronger. The mindset is what matters most. I go in with positive energy and just try to win, regardless of the conditions or the batter.”
