Former India batsman, who took over as coach of Afghanistan national team last year, believes cash-rich league has had huge impact in war-torn country at various levels
When he is not coaching Afghanistan, Lalchand Rajput is busy working on his laptop in his cabin for a firm in a corporate office located in South Mumbai.
The former India cricketer is on a holiday from his coaching assignment with the associate nation. But even though he is off duty, Rajput is keeping a close eye on his team’s two boys — leg-spinner Rashid Khan and all-rounder Mohammed Nabi — plying their trade in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The former India opener is confident that his inexperienced Afghan players have it in them to play with the big boys on this big international platform.
On Wednesday, the opening IPL-10 encounter between Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Khan was the talk of the cricketing world by becoming just the third player from an associate nation after The Netherlands’ Dirk Nannes and Ryan ten Doeschate to play in the lucrative Indian league.
And boy, did the 18-year-old make an immediate impact. The Afghan boy impressed with his skills on the first night itself, coming up with impressive figures of 2/36 on a flat track. The leggie dismissed RCB opener Mandeep Singh and the Aussie Travis Head at crucial junctures of the game. Rajput watched that, and was happy that his pupil lived up to the expectations on debut.
Rajput went down memory lane, recollecting the day when Khan got picked up by SRH for a huge sum of Rs 4 crore in this year’s IPL auction.
“When they (Khan and Nabi) were selected, the whole of Afghanistan erupted in joy as though they had won a World Cup. The news was circulated all over the social media as Khan made history. There was delight everywhere. It was a big boost for them,” Rajput said.
“IPL is a big thing for them. You come on the international map if you get picked. And, the selection of these two has given others faith and motivation that they can be part of the league,” he added.
Rajput revealed that he had spoken to the franchises before the auction and had suggested the names of the duo from the Afghanistan team.
“I spoke to two-three franchises including (VVS) Laxman and (Gautam) Gambhir, asking them if there was a chance to accommodate them. Laxman sounded confident. I had faith that they will prove themselves here too, having done the same for Afghanistan at international level,” he said.
Pace to spin, thanks to IPL
It’s not that the IPL has impacted Afghanistan cricket only with the selection of these two boys. Rajput said despite there being a wealth of fast bowling talent in the country, the boys there are inclined to take up spin after watching the IPL.
“They have got the genes and the physique to bowl good pace, but looking at the IPL, most of the boys are taking up spin,” he said. “They think in IPL, fast bowling hardly works due to flat or slow tracks. The spinners have a say most of the times and hence, they are going away from fast bowling.”
That should be a concern then, isn’t it?
“Yes, it is,” Rajput said. “We have some good fast bowlers. I need to make a big pool of them, but I am struggling to get them because of this trend.”
Appointed as coach in June 2016, Rajput’s first term with Afghanistan Cricket Board will come to an end this year and he is happy with the way the team has performed under him so far.
“Even though my contract is till 2018, I want them to prepare for the 2019 World Cup and build the team for the future. We have some interesting talent at the junior level,” he said.
And not just the limited-overs format, Rajput said his aim is to make Afghanistan a Test-playing nation soon.
“I believe they have the potential to be a Test country. They have the talent and potential. Let’s hope ICC (International Cricket Council) comes up with a positive decision in their April meet. Unless we get a chance, how will one get to know about what we can do? Having proved ourselves in limited-overs cricket, it is my dream to see them play in the white flannels,” Rajput said.
Rashid fantastic prospect for Afghanistan cricket: Warner
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner praised Rashid Khan for his impressive IPL debut, terming him a fantastic prospect for the future of cricket in the war-torn country. “Oh, he was fantastic. He has the talent and seems to be a fantastic prospect for Afghanistan cricket,” Warner said after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Wednesday night.
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 "Rashid Khan")
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