Aakash Chopra, the former Indian batter believes the disconcerting bounce Mohsin Khan extracts from the pitch will earn the pacer a Team India call-up pretty soon. The youngster was first picked up by Mumbai Indians in 2018 and was again bought at the auction for his base price at the 2020 auction. He was brought on board for INR 20 Lakh by LSG in IPL 2022 auctions and made his debut for Lucknow in the just-completed IPL 2022.
Mohsin Khan was one of the star performers for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2022. The lanky left-arm pacer snared 14 wickets in just nine matches at an exceptional economy rate of 5.97. The 23-year-old left-arm fast bowler was impressive amongst the pool of emerging players in IPL 2022. Mohsin Khan picked as many as 14 scalps in 9 games averaging an impressive 14.07 and an economy rate of 5.97. His best bowling figure is 16/4.
Aakash Chopra Impressed By Lucknow Super Giants’ Pacer Mohsin Khan And Reckons He Will Play For India Very Soon
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra spoke about some of the uncapped Indian pacers who impressed him the most in IPL 2022.
He said the following about Mohsin Khan: “Mohsin Khan has a unique thing, just like Umran (Malik) has pace, he (Mohsin) has the bounce. Either you have the bounce or you don’t. Mohsin Khan has a high point of release because bounce is directly proportional to the point of release.”
The cricketer-turned-analyst reckons the Lucknow Super Giants pacer is likely to get an India cap soon.
Aakash Chopra reasoned: “If the ball is going to hit my chest or is near my head, how will I play a shot because it is not that short that I can play the pull and it is not that full that I can play a drive. The disconcerting bounce Mohsin Khan gets makes this bowler unique and that is why I feel he will play for India very soon.”
Team India is on the lookout for an effective left-arm pacer, with their seam attack mostly comprising right-arm bowlers. Arshdeep Singh has been included in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa and Mohsin Khan could also be in the selectors’ thoughts.
In the pace department, Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh have been included for the first time in the Indian squad. Sunrisers Hyderabad pace sensation Umran Malik has been one of the finds of the 15th season of the cash-rich league. He has impressed the selectors not just with his raw pace, clocking consistently over 150 kph, but also with his wicket-taking abilities.
In 14 games this season, he has picked 22 wickets for SRH at a strike rate of just 13.57 and an economy rate of 9.03. Umran Malik, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s leading wicket-taker this season had picked 22 scalps from 14 IPL 2022 games averaging an impressive 20.18 with a best of 5/25.
Aakash Chopra Compared Mohsin Khan To Bruce Reid And Mohammad Irfan
Aakash Chopra even compared Mohsin Khan’s bowling to the likes of Bruce Reid and Mohammad Irfan.
He elaborated: “He is extremely tall, like a monster, like a super giant and bowls with a high arm. The bounce he gets, we people haven’t played that. It is that Bruce Reid type of bounce, the tall Australian whose bounce used to trouble batters. There used to be Mohammad Irfan also in the Pakistan team.”
Mohammad Irfan is the tallest player to play international cricket beating the likes of West Indian Joel Garner and Australian Bruce Reid both of whom have been pacers. The reputed commentator concluded by highlighting that Mohsin Khan stood out even in a high-pressure game like the Eliminator.
Aakash Chopra observed: “Temperament is incredible and he even bowls a slower one. He has got hit in an odd match but other than that, he has been absolutely sensational. You reached the Eliminator and it is your first IPL, and to perform like that in that, means this guy is going to go far.”
Mohsin Khan returned figures of 1/25 in his four overs when all the other LSG bowlers were being taken to the cleaners by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batters. He gave KL Rahul’s side the perfect start by dismissing Faf du Plessis for a golden duck, but Rajat Patidar stole the LSG pacer’s thunder with a match-winning century.