If I’m not playing tomorrow or if I’m not there, we have backups: Rashid Khan

CHENNAI: Rashid Khan caught many by surprise at the pre-match press conference on Saturday ahead of their opening game against New Zealand, casually dropping a couple of Tamil words in the middle of his responses. That charming effort to adapt to the local language is akin to the wizardry he produces with his variations on the field, across venues.The Afghanistan skipper, the world’s finest T20 wrist-spinner, is just four wickets away from becoming the first bowler ever to reach 700 in T20 cricket. “Feeling nalla (good). I’ve only played 9–10 years of international cricket overall, and to be the leading wicket-taker is more than a dream for me. But I never counted my wickets. I only knew about it through the media. 700 wickets is not something small. To get there, it takes a lot of time and hard work. But I’m blessed, and I’m so happy to be reaching this milestone,” a cheerful Rashid said. Even as Rashid chases a milestone, he knows competition from Afghanistan’s next generation, the very players who once idolised him, is pushing him to work even harder. The country’s Under-19 team went down in the semifinals of the recent ODI World Cup.Speaking about the new crop, especially spinners coming up, he said: “Pretty much happy. If I’m not playing tomorrow or if I’m not there, we have the back-ups, and we have the options where they can come in with the good skills and do well for the team. We have a number of players who did well in the Under-19 level. And it made us push ourselves a lot and makes us work very hard.“If we don’t take things seriously, they are the ones who are going to step in. If you are not performing, a youngster will have more hunger than you and will have more commitment than you, so you have to step back and give him an opportunity. That’s why we have to keep pushing ourselves.”‘Playing cricket in Afghanistan will be bigger than WC’After achieving so much on the international stage, Rashid’s dream remains unfulfilled. He is yearning to see international cricket played on Afghan soil.“That’s bigger than the World Cup, to be honest. For me, for the team, and for every individual, that’s something more than a dream...To be playing international cricket in your own country. When you play IPL here, when you play an international game, you see how much their international stars are supported by the local fans, and how much love they get. I’m not saying we don’t get love here, but when you play in your own country, it’s a completely different feeling. The world will see Afghanistan as well, and how beautiful it is. But hopefully, hopefully one day, we make that possible,” said Rashid.