Rashid Khan is now the new star of the IPL-10; not only because he is one of the two Afghanistan players in the league or just the fact he bagged a whopping amount in auction becoming the highest paid uncapped player but also for reasons much worthy for. The leg-spin he bowls has the power to bamboozle the big names of the game.
However, Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan, who is also the bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday lavished praise on rookie Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, terming him a “special talent”.
Rashid has already taken more wickets (5) in his first eight overs of this season; more than Sunrisers Hyderabad’s leading spin wicket-takers last year: Deepak Hooda and Bipul Sharma (3). He has bowled with control and skill, conceding runs at just 6.87 runs per over and varying leg breaks and googlies with regularity.
He also has the best bowling figures so far this season and has the second-best bowling average. He has bamboozled batsmen with his googlies and variations and will be looking to continue to be the strike bowler for the Sunrisers as the season progresses.
“I have seen (Rashid) only for a couple of days. We choose him because we saw him playing international cricket and bowling well against quality batsmen,” Muralitharan said on the eve of Sunrisers third game against Mumbai Indians.
“We thought he (Rashid) is something special and different than other leg-spinners because he bowled a little bit quicker than the others and he has variations,” Murali said.
“He has played his part in the first two matches and done well for us. It is a good sign and we thought he will do well and he is fulfilling our expectations,” the legendary spinner, said.
When asked about recent bowlers of his national team and their performance and availability in IPL, the Sri Lankan legend replied,
“Obviously, we don’t have talent back home (in Sri Lanka). So actually, we are lacking (good players). We had great teams, great players but they all retired. New guys are coming up but until they perform, franchises won’t pick the.”
According to him, IPL is a great platform to showcase Indian talent and it has definitely helped Indian Cricket over the decade. For Murali, the private leagues like Natwest T20 Blast, Ram Slam T20 or Big Bash won’t be big hits outside their regions unless top Indian players are allowed by BCCI to participate in these tourneys.
Though Murali praised Ashwin. the Indian spin star for his stint during the last Border-Gavaskar Trophy but he seems to hold a back a little of it and want to witness how the spinner bowls outside the continent, that is the Champions Trophy to be held in England from 1st June.