Parvez Rasool speaks about R Ashwin, Virat Kohli after his call-up
What’s the story?
The newest entrant into the Indian team, Parvez Rasool has said that he would love to sit down and have a chat with Ravichandran Ashwin. He also said, that he wishes to gain as much knowledge from Ashwin, who is currently the number 1 ranked bowler in Test matches. Incidentally, Rasool has been roped in as a replacement for Ashwin for the T20 squad against England.
"I had no clue that Ashwin has been rested for the series. Actually, when I got a call from the BCCI office, I thought this will be a first chance for me to share the dressing room with Ashwin. Seven days with a player of his calibre means I can learn a lot," Rasool was as quoted by the PTI.
In case you didn’t know...
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been rested for the 3-match T20I series against England which begins on January 26 in Kanpur. Both the spinners have been playing non-stop cricket ever since India’s home season began and the selectors want them rested and raring to go for the series against Australia.
Along with Parvez Rasool, Amit Mishra has also been included in the T20 squad.
The heart of the matter
Rasool, who is the first player to represent India from the Kashmir valley expressed his surprise on being called up. He was training with his state team for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy when he received the call.
The off-spinner believes that he has improved as a cricketer and that he is more at ease with International cricket currently. Also, he says that the time spent at the National Cricket Academy where he interacted with Narendra Hirwani was absolute gold for him, and he learnt plenty more about his own bowling.
The off-spinner says that he his willing to give more flight to the ball as this would help in getting more revolutions on the ball which would entice the batsmen into making mistakes.
What next?
Rasool, who picked up 38 wickets in the Ranji Trophy would have to adapt his game for the T20 series, as he would be up against a belligerent England batting line-up. He would under Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble and this would help him make a smooth transition into International cricket.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Rasool has played under Virat Kohli for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and this gives him an extra cushion leading into the series as he would be well acquainted with the skipper and his tactics.
Also, the fact that he has been selected bodes well for Indian domestic circuit as the selectors are giving importance to the Ranji trophy performers.