SRH’s Afghanistan recruit Rashid overjoyed, says it’s too much money
MUMBAI: Excitement was sky high among the cricket-mad public of Afghanistan as two of their players - Rashid Khan and former national skipper Mohammad Nabi - were snapped up at the IPL auction in Bengaluru.
Their 18-year-old leg-spinner Rashid Khan is now dubbed the ‘million dollar baby’ by his teammates after being picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping ~ 4 crore in the IPL auction.
The defending champions also bought his senior teammate Mohammad Nabi, for ~ 30 lakh.
“I am feeling great, it’s a massive thing to be part of the IPL,” Rashid told Hindustan Times.
“I was following the live streaming on my mobile, when such big names as (South Africa’s world No 1 limited-overs bowler) Imran Tahir went unsold, I thought I will also not be picked. But to be bought for ~ 4 crore bahut acha lag raha hai (feels great). It’s too much (money),” said Rashid, who hails from a business family of Jalalabad in Afghanistan.
ANXIOUS WAIT
“I have been keenly following the IPL for the last five to six years and it was a dream to play in the best league in the world,” said the spinner, who got up at 5 am with Nabi for morning prayers and then sat down in their rooms to follow the auction.
“We are seven brothers and I grew up playing cricket with them from a very young age. I always liked watching leg-break bowlers and Shahid Afridi was my favourite. In batting, I am an AB de Villiers fan,” the baby of the Afghanistan team added.
Talking about his career, Rashid said in his first proper game in a domestic Twenty20 competition, in 2013, “I scored a half-century and claimed four wickets. From there on, I was picked for the Afghanistan’s U-19 squad and then made my senior team debut against Zimbabwe in 2015.”
Nabi said about Rashid: “His googly is difficult to pick and he fires it on target.”
HYDERABAD FLAVOUR
Nabi added: “For two of our players to be picked in the IPL, it is a massive moment for Afghanistan cricket.” Nabi admitted he was nervous.
“Asghar Stanikzai’s was the first name to come up in the auction and when he went unsold, I didn’t have a good feeling, but my favourite team picked me. I loved the way Hyderabad played as a team last season, and how David Warner carried the team.