"I try to play with the batter's ego" - Rashid Khan on how he plans his wickets ahead of IPL 2022

Gujarat Titans (GT) star all-rounder Rashid Khan has arguably been one of the biggest match-winners the IPL has ever seen. In 76 IPL games, Rashid has picked up a ridiculous 93 wickets at a sensational economy of just 6.33.

Of late, the batters have become more careful while playing Rashid Khan as they know he is probably the only trump card from the opposition. Thus, they are happy to play him out and ensure that they do not gift their wickets away.

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While this could make scalping wickets a bit tricky for Khan, the 23-year-old opened up on the show 'Backstage with Boria' on YouTube about how he sets up a batter. He said:

"Batters do try and play out my overs and expect to rotate the strike and not give away their wicket. However, if you panic as a bowler, they are waiting for you to make a mistake. But I like to keep things simple. If he is not willing to take risks and just wants to take 1s and 2s, I try to make those even more difficult for him."

Khan believes that not giving away easy singles and being economical is what gives his IPL team enough chances to pick up wickets. On this, he said:

"Batters have an ego and I play with it. No matter how much he decides that he would not hit big shots, if the situation demands it, his mind changes. I wait exactly for the same thing and if I bowl a good line and length the batter can still be out caught behind or LBW. So I focus on being economical so that others get an opportunity to pick up wickets."

Rashid Khan on how IPL changed cricket in Afghanistan

Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi were among the first players to represent Afghanistan in the IPL back in 2017. Since then, Afghanistan has begun producing some match-winners who are making waves across different leagues in the world. On this, Rashid Khan stated:

"Ever since we started playing IPL in 2017, the mindset of the young generation in our domestic cricket has completely changed. They want to get to a stage, represent their country, and play in the IPL."

Swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz was named as Jason Roy's replacement for GT in the IPL 2022 season. His compatriot Rashid believes it is a huge opportunity for him, but also stressed how Gurbaz and others should learn from their experience in the IPL. In this regard, Khan said:

"It is a huge stage for Gurbaz to showcase his skills and improve his cricket. It is possible that players like him might have to struggle initially, but it is also important for them to see how they learn and come back better next season."

If GT are to qualify for the IPL playoff matches in their debut season, a lot would depend on how consistently Khan performs.