IPL 2022: "When a snake bites someone it springs back" - Rashid Khan gives a name to his trademark shot
Gujarat Titans (GT) all-rounder Rashid Khan has named his extraordinary trademark shot "Snake Shot", which has become increasingly popular not just in IPL 2022 but around the world. The Afghan sensation cited the tendency of a snake to spring its head back after biting someone as the inspiration for the name.
Rashid's comments came after his match-winning cameo of 31* (11) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. His knock included four sixes, the first of which was "Snake Shot". Rashid cleared his front leg, met the ball almost under his head, and flicked it with unbelievable wrist strength.
It is almost like MS Dhoni's helicopter shot but instead of the bat going round over the batter's head, it kicks back to its original path, giving a springy motion.
Speaking to teammates Hardik Pandya and Rahul Tewatia on IPLT20.com after the win, the leg-spinner explained that his half-open body posture doesn't allow him to go through with the flicks and only the wrist movement generates power. He said:
"I call it the Snake Shot. When a snake bites someone it springs back (chuckles). When the ball is too full, I can't finish the shot completely. My body position doesn't allow me to finish the shot. If I try to do that, I can't generate the power. So I have worked on it a lot and strengthened my wrists for it."
Rashid and Tewatia came to bat after SRH's Umran Malik crashed GT's top order with a brilliant five-wicket haul. The chasing side required 56 runs off the last four overs and didn't have much batting left in the dugout. But the two leggies took responsibility and picked their moments to take the match to the last over.
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With 22 required off the last six balls, bowled by Marco Jansen, Rahul Tewatia's first-ball six and Rashid's three maximums in the last four deliveries helped GT win the thriller.
Check out the most six in IPL here.
"Why can't we do the same?" - Rashid Khan reveals mindset at the crease
#TATAIPL | #GTvSRH On the mic: @gujarat_titans captain @hardikpandya7 interviews the star finishers of Wankhede - @rashidkhan_19 and @rahultewatia02. 👌 👌 - By @28anand
Full interview 🎥 🔽 #TATAIPL | #GTvSRH
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Talking about his mindset at the crease, the Afghan said he had the belief that if SRH can score 25 runs in the last over of their innings, GT can do the same too. He said:
"We are just happy to be on the winning side. While inside, there is just the belief that when our bowling can concede these many runs, why can't we do the same? We try to focus on our shots and finish the game. That's what I and Rahul bhai also talked about - that we shouldn't panic even if one or two balls go dot, focus on the next ball and not miss out on the loose deliveries at all."
Following the win, GT jumped to the top of the IPL points table with 14 points and a net run rate of 0.371. SRH, meanwhile, are third with 10 points.