‘Will treat every game as final’
Ahead of the resumption of the Indian Premier League, which was postponed and shifted out of India due to the Covid-19 outbreak in May, Rashid said he has been working hard on his batting and would like to contribute to SRH's success as an all-rounder.
Rashid Khan is a tough character. Despite all the political turbulence back home in Afghanistan, the fall out with the cricket board resulting in him stepping down as the T20I captain minutes after the squad for T20 World Cup was announced, Rashid is focused on what he does best - win matches for the side he plays. He would look to do the same for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) when IPL 2021 resumes on September 19 in the UAE.
Ahead of the resumption of the Indian Premier League, which was postponed and shifted out of India due to the Covid-19 outbreak in May, Rashid said he has been working hard on his batting and would like to contribute to SRH's success as an all-rounder.
"From one and a half years, I have been working on my batting as last 15-25 runs are very crucial for the side. So just trying my best to do different things, haven't practised a lot of shots in the nets but I'm just focusing on having the right mindset," said Rashid in a video posted by SRH.
SRH are languishing at the bottom half of the points table with just two points in seven matches and would need a victory in at least six of their remaining seven league games to stand a chance to make it to the play-offs. Rashid said, he would treat every game as the final when the tournament kickstarts.
"Definitely looking forward to the rest of the season, yeah we didn't have the ideal start in the first half of the tournament but looking forward to finishing up well and treat every game as a final and give my 100 per cent," he added.
Wickets in the UAE are said to assist the spinner, speaking about the same, Rashid said, "We have played enough games in UAE's conditions and just need to find out the good areas on the wicket."
All-rounder Jason Holder and the side's new signing Sherfane Rutherford on Friday arrived in UAE ahead of the resumption of the 14th edition of the IPL.
After the CSK-MI clash, the action will then shift to Abu Dhabi where KKR will square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Sharjah will host its first game on September 24 when Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Chennai Super Kings. In all, 13 matches will be held in Dubai, 10 in Sharjah, and 8 in Abu Dhabi.
Meanwhile, IPL will welcome the fans back to the stadiums after a brief hiatus owing to the Covid-19 situation.