Rashid Khan is a tough character. He does not like to give an inch to the opposition. But even strong personalities like him go through tough times. 2020 has been tough for everyone, but maybe a bit more for Rashid. He lost his mother earlier this year, someone who was very close to him and who was his biggest fan. The Afghan spinner paid an emotional tribute to his mother after his performance against the Delhi Capitals on Tuesday.
Rashid’s triple strike made the difference, allowing the Sunrisers to defend 162 for their first IPL 2020 win on Tuesday. Rashid dedicated his Man of the Match performance to his mother.
IPL 2020, RR vs KKR Live Score
“It has been a difficult year and a half for me, first my father passed away and then my mother (in June of this year). And it took me a little while to get back.
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“My mother was my biggest fan, especially at the IPL and when I was at MoM, she always spoke to me during the night,” recalled an emotional Rashid struggling to hold back tears in the post-match presentation.
Rashid said he did not feel the pressure entering the field and reaped the benefits of bowling faster than usual on a slow surface.
“I pitched faster today, when I started and threw my first ball, it hit me. You need two three balls to know what the correct rhythm is. Under these conditions, you must throw a back throw of one length at the batters.
“Warner (captain) always backs me up and tells me you know what’s best for the team. Only when things don’t go my way do I go and ask the captain what to do. ”
Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer said his team misread conditions in their first game.
“They surpassed us in all three departments and they are credited with that. 162 was a score on par at this wicket. It was surprising and in the second inning, it was two-beat. When I walked in, the ball was not reaching the bat. We thought the dew would come, but we cannot give any reason at this time, ”he said.
“We did not execute the way we wanted. Many learnings from this terrain and conditions. Ricky came in (during the timeout) and we needed a hitter to take the risk as the required rate was quite high.
(With PTI inputs)
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