Sourav Ganguly Warns India of Preparing a Rank-Turner against Afghanistan

Former India skipper, Sourav Ganguly has warned India of preparing a rank turner for the one-off Test against Afghanistan scheduled from June 14 in Bengaluru.

Ganguly heaped praise on Afghan spinner Rashid Khan who has been quite brilliant for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League. He was just unplayable at times, and Ganguly believes Rashid will replicate his form even in Tests as well.

“Rashid’s a really good spinner. In fact, when Indian play Afghanistan in the Test match at home they will have a problem in deciding on the kind of pitch they would like to play on. Traditionally, Indians tend to prepare turners but with Afghanistan having Rashid and Mujeeb Ur Rahman it could prove to be a dangerous ploy,” Rashid was quoted as saying by a Bengali daily.

Both Rashid and Mujeeb were at their best during the IPL. Playing in his 1^st season, Mujeeb made an immediate impact for the Kings XI Punjab. He got injured towards the later stages of the tournament which eventually proved to be critical for Punjab, as they failed to qualify for the playoffs despite a sensational start to their campaign.

Also Read: IPL 2018: Kolkata were Not the Favorites, but we Did Well – Shubman Gill

Following the conclusion of IPL, SRH skipper, Kane Williamson also lavished praise on Rashid. The Kiwis skipper rated Rashid as one of the best spinners in the world cricket.

Rashid bagged 21 wickets in 17 matches at a pretty impressive average of 21.8. He finished as the 2^nd highest wicket-taker behind Andrew Tye (24).

The 19-year old leggie set to appear for his country in the historic match 

Rashid is all set to appear for his country in the inaugural Test for Afghanistan.

“He’s a world-class player. We have seen that in this format but it’s great that he’s going to play some Test cricket. It is a challenge for anyone but an enjoyable challenge because he’s up there with the top spinners in the game,” Williamson said.

Williamson added he was looking forward to batting against Rashid Khan in international cricket. He termed the leggie as a complete package.

“It’s always a pleasure to face him at the nets and against him as well in the near future. A very very good bowler but like you said, if the wicket’s responding, like any spinner that offers him a bit more. But, fantastic bowler. The full package Rashid is, it is great to have him in the side, and he had a brilliant year,” he added.

Also Read: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni were Best Wickets of my Career – Rashid Khan