Rashid leaves Kohli & Co in a spin

ADIL RASHID produced his best bowling performance for England, even if it didn’t produce his best figures.

Rashid has already got a five-fer in the UAE against Pakistan, but here in Rajkot his 4-114 was far more threatening and had much more control than perhaps any innings before. It is easy to forget that Rashid is still only playing in his sixth Test for England, and yet because he has had such success in the one-day and T20 arena the expectations on his shoulders are huge.

At 28, Rashid is entering his prime as a leg-spin bowler and after overcoming English natural caution towards the art, there are signs he could become a key weapon over the course of this series.

“Yeah, that is the best I’ve bowled,” said Rashid. “I felt quite good and it was nice to get into a rhythm bowling in partnership with Moeen Ali which helped me a lot.

“It is down to a lot of hard work in the nets and knowing what I need to work on, practise it and then execute it. The more you play the more comfortable you feel, especially out here where they make you feel at home, so it is all good at the moment.”

And he certainly caused Virat Kohli more trouble than he was expecting when India’s skipper trod on his stumps on 40.

He added: “That was the first hit wicket I’ve ever got ... but I’ll take it!”