Dedicate this man of the match to my parents: Rashid
Abu Dhabi: An emotional Rashid Khan on Tuesday dedicated his player of the match award to his parents. Rashid recorded figures of 3/14 as SunRisers Hyderabad beat Delhi Capitals by 15 runs.
The 22-year-old Rashid’s mother died in June and his father died in December 2018. “Tough one and a half years for me, first lost my dad and then my mom three-fours months ago. This performance and award goes to both of them,” said Rashid in the post-match presentation ceremony.
“My mom was the biggest fan of cricket and IPL. She was always watching me and enjoying my cricket. Especially when I won a man of the match, whole night she would talk to me. That is something I am missing a lot. Their best memories are always with me but, yes, a tough few years for me.”
Rashid had lacklustre outings in the last two matches by his lofty matches, both of which SRH lost. On Tuesday, however, Rashid was pivotal in SRH’s win, dismissing Shikhar Dhawan, DC captain Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, all three of whom were important wickets as SRH defended a target of 163.
“I think I don’t take pressure on myself that I have to create impact. I keep calm and cool and focused on what I have to do. I look to do the basics right, and enjoy the game,” he said.
“When I bowled the first ball, I knew if I bowl quicker and harder, you could get turn. Then you have to bowl the length, a bit back of a length. The captain (David Warner) always backs me, and he tells me you know better. So he tells me, let me know what you want. Only If things are not going my way do you go to ask the captain what to do.”
