"If anyone bowls in my area, then I'll hit them" - Rahmanullah Gurbaz on facing Jasprit Bumrah & others ahead of IND vs AFG T20 World Cup match
Afghanistan's explosive opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has made his fearless mindset clear ahead of the massive T20 World Cup Super 8 encounter against India on Thursday, June 20. Gurbaz is set to face a tough challenge from a quality bowling attack that consists of the likes of Jasprit Bumrah.
However, the swashbuckling opener has claimed that he is not focused just on Bumrah but on all the bowlers that India will unleash against Afghanistan. Rather than focusing on the reputation of the bowlers, Gurbaz stated that he would go for his shots if the ball is in his zone.
Here's what Rahmanullah Gurbaz had to say in a video posted by the ICC ahead of the match against India:
"Honestly, my target is not just Jasprit Bumrah. I will look to target all (Indian) bowlers because there are five bowlers and I have to tackle them. It's not just a battle against Bumrah. Maybe another bowler could get me out. But yes, If I get a chance to hit him (Bumrah), let's go for it. It could be Bumrah, Arshdeep or Siraj. If anyone bowls in my area, then I'll hit them. Either I'll hit them or I will get out."
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been in red-hot form in the T20 World Cup 2024 and is also the top run-scorer for Afghanistan. He has scored 167 runs in four innings at a strike rate of more than 150 and has been instrumental in giving his team explosive starts.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz on Afghanistan's mindset shift in World Cups
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has claimed that Afghanistan are no longer a team that just thinks about participating in ICC events like the T20 World Cup. He believes they are serious contenders for the title given all their quality players and feels the mindset shift has been massive in the dressing room too.
In the same video, he opined:
"We've played in the World Cups before, but there's a huge difference (this time). Previously, our mindset was just to participate in the World Cup. But now our mindset is that we should go and be the champions. There's no pressure on us to be champions. We don't have those expectations. But we're taking it one game at a time. Our focus is on that and hope we achieve our goals and qualify for the semi-final first and then to the final."
India and Afghanistan had played a T20I series earlier this year and the hosts won 3-0. However, one of those games went down to a double Super Over and showed that Afghanistan should by no means be taken lightly.