Rashid spins a web to strangle Lions Hardtodecipher googly providing Rashid the Xfactor this IPL season
EMPHATIC VERDICT Gujarat slump to second big defeat in as many games after Hyderabad spinner and Warner shine
David Warner roared back to form with a blistering 76 after rookie Afghan spinner Rashid Khan weaved a mesmerising spell as Sunrisers Hyderabad overpowered Gujarat Lions by nine wickets in an IPL encounter here on Sunday.
It was Rashid’s 3 for 19 that helped Sunrisers restrict Lions to a paltry 135 for 7 in 20 overs and then Warner blasted his way to an unbeaten 76 off 45 balls to finish the match in 15.3 overs.
All-rounder Moises Henriques (52 not out) once again proved his worth with the willow as the duo added 108 runs for the unbeaten second wicket.
While this was Hyderabad’s second win in as many matches, last year’s top-four finishers Lions now have had two defeats in a row.
Warner, who had a poor Test series against India, would be happy as he was in his elements, hitting six boundaries and four huge sixes.
The mayhem started in the third over when rival skipper Suresh Raina introduced himself into the attack. Warner lofted him straight into the sight screen and hit another one into the long-on region to break the shackles.
Leg-spinner Tejas Baroka --an inexplicable choice with no experience of playing any match at the senior level – was given a lesson of what to expect in topflight cricket.
The youngster who has not been considered good enough to be a part of senior Delhi state side was handed a harsh lesson by the star Australian opener.
Warner dispatched his halftrackers to the boundary and lofted him for a huge six.
Kerala quick Basil Thampi was driven through the covers and cut for good measure as Warner picked the runs at will.
The match finished when Warner lofted Baroka into long-on stands.
Earlier, after an impressive debut, Rashid once again finished with superb figures of 3 for 19 in four overs. He rattled the Lions top-order with wickets of Brendon McCullum (5), Aaron Finch (3) and skipper Suresh Raina (5) in the 5th, 7th and 9th over of the innings.
The Lions never recovered from the setbacks even though Dinesh Karthik (30) and Dwayne Smith (37) added 56 runs for the fifth wicket to stem the rot.
But it was the damage done by the Afghan ‘wonderkid’ that spelt doom for Raina and his men.
McCullum was gone trying to sweep a googly while Raina played for the wrong ‘un only to be fooled by an orthodox legbreak. The hard-hitting Finch also failed to read a googly and in the process, was trapped plumb.
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 Indian Premier League. Three, he already has record hauls in ODIs and T20Is.
When he was snapped up in the IPL auction by holders Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 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 already picked five wickets, and he was awarded the purple cap for the IPL’s leading wickettaker.
When he got the cap, Rashid said, “It’s difficult for the batsmen to pick my googlies. It’s a good track and if you bowl wicketto-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 cutting edge so vital for this batsmen-dominated event. With the kind of start he has got, the Afghan sensation and Shahid Afridi fan has truly taken the tournament by storm.