Since childhood, I had positive jealousy; wanted to be best even among brothers: Rashid Khan
Afghanistan and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) leg-spinner Rashid Khan has revealed that he had the mentality of wanting to be the best ever since his childhood. Khan explained that, whether it was playing with brothers or friends, he hated being second best.
Rashid Khan made his international debut at the age of 17 in 2015. Today, he is regarded as one of the finest leg-spinners in the game. Khan has picked up 269 international wickets across the three formats of the game.
In an interaction on the Curtly & Karishma Show, Rashid Khan discussed how he developed his bowling skills over the years. The 22-year-old stated:
“I don't know if I am the best or not. Since childhood, while playing with brothers at home, I had that kind of mentality in the mind that I have to be the best. That is just how I grew up. Even when I played with friends, I wanted to be the best. It was positive jealousy I had in mind. It is not that I wished something bad for somebody else, I just wanted to better than them in every field. Whether I was batting, bowling or fielding, I just had that energy.”
Rashid Khan added that he started working on his skills once he realized that he was totally different from other leg-spinners. The bowler also credited the IPL for his overall growth as a cricketer. Rashid Khan said:
“When I came into international cricket in 2015, I had lots of things to improve on. And when I debuted in the IPL, I learnt about the mindset of the players. From there, my cricket has totally changed and whatever improvement has come, it had a lot to do with IPL 2017 (Rashid’s debut season)."
Rashid Khan added:
"I played with lots of superstars and it gave me an opportunity to know the areas I can work on and become much better. I am still working on my variations in the nets because nowadays batsmen have so many options to hit you.”
The quality of cricket is different in the IPL and the Big Bash: Rashid Khan
Even as he has achieved great success with Afghanistan, Rashid Khan has also turned out for various T20 franchise leagues across the globe. Apart from the IPL, he also features in Australia’s highly competitive Big Bash League (BBL). Comparing the two leagues, Rashid explained:
“The quality of cricket is different in the IPL and the Big Bash, it is a different challenge. If you see the IPL, it is like everyone has played for India, everyone has played international cricket in each and every team. When you have flat wickets, small boundaries and you have nothing to do, it is quite difficult."
Rashid Khan added:
"At the same time, when you have belief in your skills, you back yourself and focus on what you can do rather than think about the results. In the Big Bash, the wickets don’t support you as much as they do in Asia. That is where you use your experience to survive and put the batsmen in trouble.”
Rashid Khan claimed 16 wickets in 10 games for the Adelaide Strikers in the 2020-21 season. He also picked up 10 wickets in seven matches for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2021 before the tournament was suspended.