Rashid Khan after putting up an impressive bowling show against DC.
Registering his best figures in the on-going IPL 2020, SunRisers Hyderabad's Rashid Khan derailed Delhi Capitals' run-chase on Tuesday. The leg-spin maestro, bowling as many as 17 dots in his four-over spell, scalped three wickets to steer his side to an emphatic 88-run victory.
Rashid came into the attack and put DC under pressure from the word go. He scalped two vital wickets of Shimron Hetmyer and Ajinkya Rahane in his very first over, leaving DC baffled during the run-chase.
Rashid finished with a match-defining spell of 3/7 as SRH kept alive their dreams of progressing into the playoffs. With 10 points under their belt, the David Warner-led side is currently sitting on the sixth position in the points table. Reacting to his bowling masterclass against DC, Rashid said that he realized that he just needed to bowl good deliveries and dot balls to build the pressure.
"Whenever I have got the opportunity to bowl, I've always focused on delivering the best for the team. I got a wicket off the first ball and that's when I realized that there's something in the wicket to help me more. I just needed to bowl good deliveries and more dot balls," said the Afghanistan stalwart in the post-match conference.
About his plan against DC's batting unit, he further said, "I think we already have played against each batsman a lot. Everyone is clear with their plans about how to bowl to a particular batsman. That's what we discussed before the game. Everyone has different plans for different batsmen and they try to execute it in the game. That's what is working for us so far.
Rashid also heaped praise on skipper David Warner's ability to shift gears and play according to the situation of the game.
"David Warner has done a good job for us so far in the competition. It's all about the requirement of the game. According to the situation, you've to play more aggressive or defensive. He has only been focussing on what the team requires at the moment. He is capable of such brilliant innings and good to see him score today. He realized that he can dominate the bowlers and he has done a good job for us," said Rashid.
The leg-spinner also lauded Wriddhiman Saha's impressive show with the bat. Coming back into the playing XI, Saha proved his worth with the bat and slammed a 45-ball 87. Saha and Warner stitched 107-run opening stand to put SRH on top.
"We've already seen he has hundreds in IPL. We know how good he is as a batsman. When he got the opportunity today, he grabbed it with both hands and delivered. He had that belief in himself after stepping in. Every player knows his responsibility for the team and when you're batting in T20, you always look to deliver your best for the team. That's what Warner and Saha did," said 23-year-old Rashid.
Eyeing to secure a place in the knockouts, SRH are next slated to face Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday at Sharjah.
We don't focus on what's going to happen in the points table. We just focus on what can we do on the game day. We will next face Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah and the plan will be simple and clear- give your 100 per cent and do well for the team. Forgetting about the qualification, it's better to take one game at a time and enjoy," concluded Rashid.
