Follow UsRashid Khan showed his class once again in the Super 8s match against India in Barbados, where he finished with figures of 3/26, which included the wickets of Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya. His spell put Afghanistan in a good position, but Suryakumar Yadav's fifty proved to be pivotal as India reached an above-par total of 181.
Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott believes it is Rashid's hunger to keep pushing boundaries that makes him a top bowler and sets an example not only in Afghanistan but around the world.
"I think with all great players, that's a lot of the time it's what they do off the field that's not in front of the cameras and the way they conduct themselves. And obviously, Rash is sitting here and he won't mind me saying, but setting high standards for themselves that take others with them and inspire other people," Trott said after Afghanistan's 47-run loss against India.
"And work ethic, desire, ability to listen and learn, and always wanting to grow and discover, try new deliveries, and push the boundaries on your own game. Sometimes I think as players, and at times I was maybe like this as a player, you try and hold on to what you have and you don't want to grow as a player, you try and protect what you've got.
"I wish I had pushed myself with regards to testing my game and pushing the boundaries on what I could achieve as a player. I think Rashid sets a great example for that for all younger players, not only in Afghanistan but around the world and in India and the IPL and across the globe, so yeah, that's all I can say, really, and he bowls pretty well as well."
The leg-spinner, though, bowled himself out in the 14th over. Trott does not see anything wrong with that and believes it is the responsibility of the other bowlers to keep things tight, even if they do not pick up wickets.
"I think it's important when you have a hunch and you want to attack and you bowl 3/26, I think no matter when you bowl you've done a good job. So whenever Rash bowls, whenever Rash turns the game around like he did for us today, I think it's brilliant. It's not just one bowler. Other people have to bowl the 16 other overs to be bowled. And it's the responsibility of other bowlers to be able to execute the plans that we put in place," Trott said.
"I think when the captain decides when he bowls, I don't have a problem with the way Rashid finished and when he did. If he had taken another wicket or if he had got Pandya out last ball, we would be sitting here saying it's a masterstroke. So, I think hindsight is a fantastic thing. I don't think Rashid finishing the game or finishing his bowling in the 14th over is the problem why we lost the game," he further added.
Trott also expressed disappointment with the shot selection of a few of his players, especially against someone of the calibre of Jasprit Bumrah early on.
"Obviously disappointed with a few of the shots or the decision-making. Bumrah is going to be a key bowler for any side. So, for India, he's crucial and we needed to play him better. His figures suggest we didn't play him very well," Trott said.
"We'd obviously spoken about it and how we were going to play him. So, we weren't able to execute that and, yeah, that's very disappointing. And I know there are a lot of or a few batters, or most of them are thinking they could have done a bit better with their decision making but also execution."
Afghanistan will look to bounce back from their loss when they take on Australia in St Vincent next on June 22 (Saturday).
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