An enigma named Rashid Khan

It is not often that a player from an Associate Nation makes the entire cricketing world sit up and take notice. Only an exceptional talent and a consistent performance can draw unparalleled appreciation from several greats who have played the game. Therefore, at just 20, Rashid Khan Arman, a small town boy from Afghanistan, has proven that he is the player to watch out for.

Having carved a niche for not just himself but for his entire team, Rashid Khan’s meteoric rise has been nothing short of a phenomenon. Ever since his international ODI debut in 2015, he has been a catalyst for Afghanistan’s growing popularity in the sport. His 7/18 against the West Indies in 2017 is the fourth best bowling figure in ODIs. His constant on-field exploits paved way for the ICC to award him the prestigious “ICC Associate Cricketer of the Year” award in 2018.

Rashid Khan has been equally successful in the T20 format too. With impressive returns of 11 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 16.63 in the 2016 WT20, he ended the tournament as the second highest wicket-taker.

He registered his first T20 five-wicket haul in 2017 when he bamboozled the Irish batsmen with his googlies. He also rewrote record books that night, as he picked up five wickets in a span of just 12 balls conceding merely 3 runs! Consequently, he triggered a battle among teams in the 2017 IPL player auctions.

Rashid in the IPL

Rashid Khan went on to make headlines when the Sunrisers Hyderabad roped him in for INR 4 crores, which resulted in him being labelled the “million-dollar baby”. The mystery spinner justified his price tag in his very first IPL game. He picked up the crucial wickets of two well settled batsmen, Mandeep Singh and Travis Head, and helped SRH defeat RCB by 35 runs.

In the 14 matches that he played in IPL 2017, Rashid Khan scalped 17 wickets at an economy of 6.62 runs per over with an impressive SR of 19.05 balls per wicket. His statistics proved that picking wickets while being economical was indeed feasible.

Rashid Khan substantiated the trust SRH had on him by producing a stellar performance in IPL 2018 as well. He claimed 21 wickets at an average of 21.80. His strike rate was at 19.42, while his economy was 6.73.

He made a strong statement that year, by picking up the wickets of RCB’s Virat Kohli and CSK’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Unsurprisingly, SRH Coach Tom Moody heaped praises on the spin sensation and tagged him as being pivotal to his team’s fortunes.

Rashid Khan’s continual success in the shorter formats of the game can be accredited to his ability to bowl faster and flatter than a traditional leg spinner. Unlike the purists, he keeps the ball short and bowls stump-to-stump, preventing the batsmen from getting on top of him.

In an interview, he had said he would call himself a finger spinner as he extracts maximum spin on the ball from his strong fingers. He is known for his capability to grip the ball in five different ways for a leg spin. He also possesses a knack of bowling a high percentage of googlies, as against the normal leg spin, to fox the batsmen.

Apart from his bowling feats, Rashid Khan has garnered the attention of cricket enthusiasts with his batting heroics as well. As of date, he has struck 7 sixes in the IPL and has scored 70 runs at a strike rate of 175.0, remaining not out on three occasions.

Additionally, he has also earned a name as an agile fielder who can pull off stunning catches and influence remarkable run-outs. It will not be an exaggeration to say that this all-round ability reinforces his repertoire of skills, in turn enhancing his value to a team.

As was the case in the earlier editions, Rashid Khan’s contributions in this season of the IPL will be extremely significant for SRH’s success. After all, he is one of the very few bowlers to have made an indelible mark in a format which is heavily tilted in favour of the batsmen.