Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar praises Afghanistan spin bowling all-rounder Rashid Khan for his wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in Gujarat Titans RR)’s thrilling performance in the game and said his commitment made him “a player that teams around the world want”. Riding on a scintillating performance of captain Shubman Gill’s 72 off 44 balls and a brilliant late performance from Rashid (24 not out off 11 balls) and Rahul Tewatia (22 off 11 balls) , Gujarat Titans registered a thrilling last-ball victory over Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday night.
The 25-year-old Afghanistan all-rounder bowled an economical spell before displaying his batting skills, finishing with figures of 1-18 in his four-over quota. He was named Man of the Match for his all-round performance in the GT race.
Speaking to Star Sports Cricket Live, Gawakkar praised Rashid for his commitment to the game. “Yes, he didn’t hit wickets like he usually does, but when he was needed with the bat, he came and delivered. That’s why he is a player that teams around the world want. They want him because they can see his commitment, batting, bowling and fielding.
“Look at the way he gives everything while fielding. Bowlers can sometimes be a bit worried about diving on their bowling shoulders because if they dislocate their shoulders, their career is at risk. Not so with Rashid Khan , he just wants to give 100% effort. ”
“There is another cricketer who is not playing in this IPL but he is similar and that is Ben Stokes. Any time you see Ben Stokes batting Ball, bowling or fielding, he is 100% and he gives everything. And these are the kind of cricketers that coaches and captains want, they may not always deliver on their promises but you know the percentages will not be less than 100 percent,” he added.
Former Australian cricketer Aaron Finch echoed the same sentiments about Rashid’s performance against RR, saying, “It’s not easy to select Rashid Khan, especially when he bowls in the powerplay and also Matthew Wade created a couple of tough chances when it came to scoring less than 20 points in a game with nearly 400 points, which is extraordinary.
“We discussed before the game that he might be back to his best after the surgery but tonight he humbled us all. He just got the job done and that’s a great thing, he’s always 100 per cent get the job done.”
Apart from the GT batsman, Rajasthan Royals’ in-form batsman Riyan Parag also stole the limelight with his impressive batting performance. He hit three fours and five sixes in his third fifty of the season at a strike rate of 158.33.
Parag’s score in five games in IPL 2024 currently stands at 251, trailing only leading run-scorer Virat Kohli.
Gavaskar also shared his thoughts on Parag’s performance, saying, “The way he was batting, if he had had another eight overs, he might have scored 30 to 35 more runs in those eight overs . So, this would result in Gujarat Titans targeting a target of 225 instead of 197.”
Finch added: “Riyan Parag and Sanju Samson built their innings and then exploded at the back end which put a lot of pressure on the bowling and fielding. So, it’s good to see a good and strong partnership “.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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