I prepare for match by watching videos of opposition batsmen: Rashid Khan

PTI, Jun 16, 2021, 10:47 AM IST

Karachi: Star Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan has revealed the secret to his success, saying he watches videos of the opposition batsmen to outfox them in the game.

”I take time out to watch videos of all the batsmen I will be bowling to in a match to find out their weaknesses and use that during the match,” Rashid said on Cricket Pakistan YouTube channel.

The wily leg-spinner, who is in high demand in T20 leagues around the world, plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League and has been signed up by Lahore Qalandars for the remaining matches of the ongoing Pakistan Super League.

In the matches he has appeared in for Lahore, he has already left a big impact in two of them with ball and bat taking five for 20 in one match.

”I will try to bowl at a good line and length, keep things simple and enjoy the match,” said Rashid.

He also talked about how he dealt with bowling to top batsmen especially Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, and Kane Williamson.

”Babar is a world-class player but I always assess my strengths first and bowl accordingly and that is why I make it a point to videos of batsmen,” he added.

“In my opinion, it’s quite difficult (to say who the best is) but no doubt, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, and Babar Azam are world-class players. These are the kind of players who know their limits and shots. ”They have a process to start and finish their innings, which is something I really like about them,” the Afghanistan player said.

He avoided making any comparisons between the IPL and PSL pointing out that while he had been playing in the IPL for long, he had only started playing in the PSL.

”I have only played three of four matches (in PSL) as compared to IPL where I have been playing for five years. I will be in a better position to say something when I play more matches of the PSL at different grounds and in the presence of a crowd.” The experienced spinner said he was looking forward to playing a proper bilateral series against Pakistan later this year in the UAE.

”I’m looking forward to that series and hopefully we will see some good cricket,” he added.