Former Afghanistan coach Lalchand Rajput Believes Rashid Khan is playable

Former Afghanistan coach, Lalchand Rajput, who has seen young Rashid Khan grow closely, has admitted that the leg-spinner is playable if batsmen can read him well.

Meanwhile, the focus will be now on the one-off Test match against debutant Afghanistan. They will play their first Test since earning the Test status last year, starting from June 14 at Bengaluru.

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With Afghans dominating Bangladesh in the T20 series, many feel that they can put India under pressure. However, Rajput feels the young side will face a test of patience in a format that is quite new to its players.

“The side is well balanced and it has got some really good spinners in R<!----><<!---->!<!---->-<!---->-<!---->-<!---->-<!---->><!---->a<!----><<!---->!<!---->-<!---->-<!---->-<!---->-<!---->><!---->s<!----><<!---->!<!---->-<!---->-<!---->-<!---->-<!---->><!---->h<!----><<!---->!<!---->-<!---->-<!---->-<!---->-<!---->><!---->i<!----><<!---->!<!---->-<!---->-<!---->-<!---->-<!---->><!---->d<!----><<!---->!<!---->-<!---->-<!---->-<!---->-<!---->><!----> and Mujeeb Zadran, who could be lethal. But then, the team has not played five-day cricket in the past and that could be a challenging task for them,” Sportstar quotes Rajput.

“Test cricket is a different ball game altogether. Unlike the shorter formats, here it is very important to control emotions and stay focussed till the last day. This will be a first such outing for the Afghanistan side and it will be interesting to see how they handle the pressure,” he added.

Rashid is playable

Rajput played a vital cog in Afghanistan earning the Test status. He was with the side until July last year and has guided the team to grow in strength.

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The 19-year-old Rashid grabbed eyeballs with his stellar performances in the recently concluded IPL. Having seen Rashid from close quarters, Rajput believes the Test against India will be a learning curve for Rashid. He also added that the young wrist-spinner is quite playable if one reads him well.

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“Rashid is very accurate with his delivery and he uses his fingers pretty well while delivering the ball. That makes him quite lethal. But if a batsman reads him well, he is playable,” Rajput stressed.

In conclusion, Rajput admitted that it has been a fascinating journey for the Afghanistan side in the international arena.

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