Gujarat Titans leg-spinner Rashid Khan has said that the batters have stopped taking risks against me which has been affecting his wickets tally so far in the tournament. Rashid has scalped six wickets in the IPL 2022 and said that he is happy with his bowling so far in the tournament for GT.
Rashid Khan has been one of the most effective spinners in world cricket and he also showcases his brilliant bowling in IPL. He had a steady start in IPL 2022 so far taking six wickets from four matches at an economy rate of 6.68 for Gujarat Titans but the batters seem to have been comfortable against his bowling. However, Rashid is happy with his bowling and stated that the safety-first approach by batters have reduced his number of wickets in the games played so far.
“I’m happy with the way I’m bowling in this competition so far,” Rashid said in a virtual media interaction.
“I don’t really focus on results, it’s all about how I’m bowling. At the moment, my bowling is great. But it’s about the opposition, they don’t take that kind of risk against you which will allow you to take more wickets.”
“But whenever there are enough opportunities as a bowler, I would be smart enough to get them out. So far I’m happy with my bowling, the pitching has been great.”
Gujarat Titans suffered their first defeat of the tournament against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday. Rashid had economical figures of 28/1 in the game where GT lost by eight wickets. Reflecting on his performance so far in the tournament, Rashid opined that he has always been a slow starter.
“If you look at the stats in IPL, I always have similar (slow) starts. I’ve always taken 5-6 wickets, not 12-13 in the first four-five games. It always remained the same. But definitely, I will try my best to keep improving. Definitely, there will be a time when I’ll deliver that magic spell,” he stated.
Rashid has picked 99 wickets from 80 IPL matches so far. He expressed that his journey in the tournament has been amazing and also added that there is clarity among the team regarding roles of individuals.
“Coming here from Afghanistan and playing all the games since my debut, it’s been amazing. Five years back, I didn’t even think of playing IPL. Nearing 100 (wickets), becoming vice-captain of Gujarat, it’s massive. I’m so lucky and blessed,” he explained.
“At times, you perform and at times you don’t. The mindset is about giving 100 per cent that’s more important than the result. We as a team are clear about it and everyone knows about their roles.”
