Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai)

Rashid Khan’s mystery intact, says SRH coach Tom Moody

- HT Correspond­ent

Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody believes the variations of the team’s young Afghanista­n spinner, Rashid Khan, is far from being sorted out by batsmen in the Indian Premier League.

The 18-year-old Rashid Khan, nicknamed ‘Afghanista­n’s Afridi’ back home, has repeatedly foxed batsmen in IPL 2017 with his googly, and his Aussie coach is confident that will remain the case till the end of the season.

Tom Moody dismissed suggestion­s that Rashid’s googly has become predictabl­e, and batsmen have now been able to read it better. “Rashid has been a revelation in the tournament. He has done well and would continue to do. Taking one wicket and giving just 17 runs in a high scoring match ant) was commendabl­e.

“Rashid will be a major threat to the opposition in the remaining matches. He is has been a terrific find for us this season. It is so good to see such a young spinner making an impact and it is also wonderful for Afghanista­n cricket.”

Rashid has made a big impact, displaying confidence while backing his skill against top batsmen. He has scalped 10 wickets in seven matches.

AFGHAN FANS IN STANDS

Fellow Afghanista­n spinner, Mohammed Nabi, made his IPL debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kings XI Punjab, taking a wicket. “We have a very well balanced team. We pick a team combinatio­n according to the conditions and opposition, like Nabi was included against Kings XI Punjab purely because they have a lot of left handers We like to

A sizeable number of Afghan students based in Chandigarh will cheer the duo when Sunrisers Hyderabad walk into the PCA stadium on Friday.

Local hero Yuvraj Singh, who will be in the visiting team, did not practice on Thursday. Tom Moody said: “Yuvi has been batting well. He has been hitting the ball well. Unfortunat­ely, he had to miss a few games due to flu. But I’m sure plenty of runs are in store.

“We are desperate to win, and so are Kings XI Punjab. We would like to go into the match with a positive mind set and give off our best,” said Moody.

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