As a bowler, there was already a lot to worry about while playing against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers padded up to punish anything ordinary. The job for bowlers has become even tougher this time with Aaron Finch joining the deadly duo.
On Monday, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Rashid Khan will be up against the RCB trio. The leg-spinner, considered the best currently in limited-overs format, is busy doing his homework and knows that Australia white-ball captain Finch is a better player of spin nowadays.
“Yeah, I studied Finch’s strong and weak areas and am working accordingly. No doubt, he is a very hard hitter of the ball and he has improved a lot in the last one-and-a-half years. Especially against spinners, he has been doing really well,” Rashid said when The Telegraph asked about what would be his approach against Finch, during an online interaction on Sunday.
“Still, it’s about how you bowl according to the conditions and if you can bowl those deliveries that matter on these tracks. That’s why I focus on my strong points instead of thinking about who is batting against me. Because if I think so, I may lose my line and length and not do as well as I can,” Rashid, who turned 22 on Sunday, said.
Both Rashid and Finch have had some invaluable game time coming into the IPL. While Rashid played in the Caribbean Premier League, Finch led Australia in the limited-overs series in England.
As for bowling to RCB skipper Kohli, Rashid seems ready for the challenge and quite upbeat too. More so as Kohli last played competitive cricket back in early March.
“Well, the IPL is a different league. There is pressure as you come up against big names like Virat. I’ll try and see if I can bowl to him like how I did in the past — in the World Cup and past IPL matches... Just need to have those things in mind and try to bowl my best ball against him. There shouldn’t be any excuses if I bowl a bad ball and let him smash it. I just look to keep it simple and enjoy my game.
“Yes, Virat is a world-class player across all formats. But I love it when someone like him is batting against me. It’s always the best competition that you can get as a bowler.
“Rather than feeling the pressure, I will try my best to enjoy and bowl the best delivery to him. Also, he’ll be back after a long break, so let’s see how his reaction will be,” Rashid, a pivotal part of the Sunrisers team, explained.
