Afghanistan and Gujarat Titans leg-spinner Rashid Khan won hearts in the game against Mumbai Indians in the ongoing IPL 2023. With the ball, he took four wickets for the first time this season. Before his game, Khan’s form with the ball as his economy rate was high compared to other seasons. However, the Afghanistan international brought out his best against the most successful teams of the IPL.
With the bat, he had the responsibility of saving his side’s face with the bat as well. Chasing 219 to win, the defending champions were reduced to 103/8. At this stage, the home team had the opportunity to improve the NRR. However, Khan scored an unbeaten 79 off 32 balls including 10 sixes and three fours. His innings helped the team reach 191/8, losing the game by 27 runs only.
Meanwhile, during the dying stages of the game, he experienced cramps. However, the right-hander decided to continue to play till the end. A video of fans cheering for him has been going viral on social media.
Watch the video here
The chants of "Rashid,Rashid!" When Rashid Khan started cramping up, urging him on to continue batting ?
This is the spirit of the Wankhede crowd, we applaud incredible performances even from the opposition ? pic.twitter.com/Mr09zdj1Un
— Anuj Nitin Prabhu (@APTalksCricket) May 13, 2023
I felt like Rashid Khan was the only one who turned up for the game: Hardik Pandya
After the match, GT skipper Hardik Pandya praised Khan for his all-rounder performance.
“Felt like only Rashid Khan turned up from our team, batted, and bowled incredibly well. We don’t have to try much, as a group overall we weren’t there in any department. Didn’t have clear plans, bowlers didn’t execute. I felt we gave 25 runs extra. We were far from winning this game but because of Rashid, we ensured there wasn’t a big dent to our NRR,” Hardik Pandya said in the post-match.
“Gujarat Titans are lucky to have a player like Rashid Khan. He isn’t just a special bowler but also a good batter. He never gives up. Almighty has been benevolent on GT as they got a world-class cricketer in Rashid,” said Mohammad Kaif.
