Rashid Khan has been one of the finest bowlers in white-ball cricket. The Afghanistan National Cricket Team spinner has been a fan favourite in India. In a podcast with former India opener Aakash Chopra, Rashid revealed the toughest batter he has bowled to. He named Virat Kohli as the most difficult to bowl against.
Rashid was part of the Afghanistan squad that hosted India in India for a three-match T20I series. Though the Afghan spinner ended up on the losing side, as the Men in Blue completely dominated the Afghanistan side, winning the series 3-0. In the third match, which was a dead rubber, they had an emphatic win by a margin of 125 runs.
“The one batter who has been challenging for me over the years is Virat Kohli”: Rashid Khan on most difficult batter he bowled to
While speaking on the podcast named ‘Baith & Bol with Aakash Chopra’, Rashid Khan was asked by the former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter to name the most difficult batter he has bowled to. The 27-year-old leg-spinner revealed the name of former India captain Virat Kohli. He also revealed what makes Virat different from the other batters he has bowled against.
“The one batter who has been challenging for me over the years is Virat Kohli. It is okay if I bowl my best line and length to him. But if I miss even a little here and there, he will punish me. Other batters try to get to the non-striker’s end. But he tries to hit you for a boundary.”
“I also like that competitiveness. I enjoy it a lot. I enjoy bowling to him, as there is no scope for error. If I falter even a bit, he is an excellent player, and he will not only hit it, but hit it in the gap,” he said.
Rashid Khan vs Virat Kohli matchup
Rashid Khan and Virat Kohli have faced only 28 balls in ODIs where the batter has scored 36 runs against him, and the spinner has failed to dismiss him once in this format. However, in the T20I format, Rashid has picked up the wicket of the former India captain once in 16 balls, and Virat has scored 22 runs.
The two have faced each other multiple times in the IPL. Kohli has scored 144 runs off 113 balls while being dismissed 3 times. Their first meeting was back in 2018, and in the second game he took Kohli’s wicket for the first time in his career.
“He supports you and backs you to do well”: Rashid Khan opens up on Shubman Gill’s captaincy nature
Apart from speaking on Virat, Rashid also revealed the nature of Shubman Gill as a captain, as both share the same pitch for Gujarat Titans. Rashid is the vice-captain of the side as well. The Afghan spinner states that the Indian captain is very calm and provides the freedom to the cricketers and also backs them, comparing him with former GT captain Hardik Pandya.
“As a captain, Shubman is calm and gives you that freedom. He supports you and backs you to do well. Sometimes, if a captain demands certain things from you, it becomes difficult. But this never happened. Hardik was also like that. They know you have played enough cricket.”
“They would just tell me how some batters would look to play and what I could bowl to them. Gill, as a captain, really helps every individual to focus on their game. We do not think about the results,” he said.
Source: cricketaddictor.com
