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 Rashid 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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