Rashid Khan And Mujeeb Ur Rahman Capable of Testing Indian Batsmen: Anil Kumble

Former Indian skipper and coach Anil Kumble believes Afghanistan spin duo in the form of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are capable of testing Indian batsmen in Bengaluru.

Veteran leg-spinner Kumble said both these talented spinners can give a run for money to the Indian batsman if they get it right on a surface like M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Afghanistan is all set to make their Test debut against India on June 14. Meanwhile, Rashid (Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (King XI Punjab) had scalped 21 and 14 wickets respectively in the recently concluded season eleven of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Simultaneously, both the mystery spinners were able to bamboozle the world-class batsmen of late.

Furthermore, Rashid took eight wickets against Bangladesh in the recently-concluded three-match Twenty20 International series to continue with his good.

“It’s fantastic to see two young Afghanistan spinners bamboozle world batsmen. Both Rashid and Mujeeb are extremely talented and if they get it right they are certainly capable of testing… Indian or any batsmen,” Kumble told AFP.

The former Indian head coach went on to add Test cricket will test these two talented Afghan spinners.

It is known fact that Test cricket is a different ball game altogether as compared to the shortest version.

“It will be interesting to see how they go because bowling four overs and bowling to get wickets in a Test match is totally different,” Anil Kumble reiterated.

Meanwhile, Rashid gives credit to his fitness, for his recent success. The leg-spinner is a livewire on the field and he can also contribute with the bat.

Rashid said, “In the last one year, I have tried to stay fit, and improve my fitness, which has changed everything. I have managed to contribute in the field, with ball and bat.”

Both mystery spinners have enjoyed their success in the T20 form. Subsequently, they are not easy to pick and thus they have dominated world class batsmen. Therefore, the recent success must have given them a shot in the arm.

It is great to note that the rapid growth of the Afghanistan cricket in the last few years. Thus, they would like to keep getting better in all the three aspects of the game.