Hard-to-read googly giving Rashid X-factor

At the age of 18, Rashid Khan was already creating waves in the cricketing world for three reasons. One, he is from Afghanistan. Two, he became only the second Afghan player, after former national skipper Mohammad Nabi, to be picked in the I PL. Three, he already has record hauls in ODIs and T20Is.

When he was snapped up in the IPL auction by holders Sunrisers Hyderabad for ~4 crore, his rise to international stardom was confirmed. After he was bought in the auction, Nabi said, “His googly is difficult to pick and he fires it on target.”

When Rashid was selected for the opening game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, the excitement only grew. His crowning moment came in his very first over when Mandeep Singh dragged a quicker delivery on to the stumps for 24.

When Travis Head and Kedar Jadhav were stitching a 50-plus partnership, Sunrisers skipper David Warner turned to Rashid to break the dangerous stand. And he responded by removing Travis Head for 30. His figures of 4-0-36-2 on IPL debut gave a glimpse of what he could deliver.

Against Gujarat Lions, he produced a magnificent spell. Nabi’s words had indeed come true. On a Rajiv Gandhi stadium pitch that was good for batting, he picked up three top-order wickets. The notable thing was all three were trapped LBW, a testament to his accuracy and clever variations.

In his first over, he got the big wicket of Brendon McCullum for five runs with a googly that turned slightly.

In his second over, he removed Aaron Finch for 3 with another googly that also didn’t turn much. Rashid bagged his third wicket in his third over, trapping Gujarat Lions skipper Suresh Raina (5) and a top player of spin with a leg break. In his final over, he troubled both Dwayne Smith and Dinesh Karthik, returning figures of 4-0-19-3.

In two matches, the 18-year-old has picked five wickets, and he was awarded the Purple Cap for the IPL’s leading wicket-taker.

When he got the cap, Rashid said, “It’s difficult for batsmen to pick my googlies. It’s a good track and if you bowl wicket-to-wicket here, it will be tough for the batsmen. Baz’s (Brendon McCullum) wicket was my favourite.”

Rashid’s accuracy and his hard-to-decipher googly provide him the edge. With the kind of start he has got, the Afghan sensation and Shahid Afridi fan has truly taken the tournament by storm.