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5 min learnUp to date: Aug 30, 2026 07:12 AM IST
On the BCCI Centre of Excellence, Shaik Rasheed has simply taken a blow to the ribs. It’s sufficient to ground him, drive a brief break, an ice pack, a second to sit down. When he will get again on his ft and returns to the nets, he asks the throwdown specialist to ship the identical supply that troubled him. For the following 30-odd minutes he works by means of it, his back-foot cowl drives the decide of the lot by the top.
It’s the affect of Joe Root in him, a batsman whose movies he watches always, idolises sufficient to have the identical “66” on the again of his T-shirt. “I watch quite a lot of Root’s movies,” Rasheed tells The Indian Categorical. “I actually like his back-foot punch cowl drive as a result of it’s my favorite shot. After I see his batting, I be taught loads. I can join with him. After I watch him play, I really feel I’m taking part in. I need to be taught from him how he constructs his innings in numerous situations.”
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On Sunday, when South Zone tackle North Zone within the Duleep Trophy semi-final on the CoE in Bengaluru, Rasheed begins the brand new season with renewed hope that he stays among the many top-order batsmen selectors are watching carefully. Devdutt Padikkal has sealed the No. 3 spot for now, however the 21-year-old is among the many pool being ready for the Check group. His childhood coach, NS Ganesh, has had one message in Rasheed’s ear for seven years now: “After Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, you need to be the one who takes their spot in the long term.”
Rasheed managed 63, 20 and 45 in opposition to Sri Lanka A, however he is aware of these numbers aren’t sufficient on their very own. (SLC)
Rasheed nonetheless has an extended method to go. However the indicators are encouraging. Having come by means of the India Beneath-19 group that received the 2022 World Cup, final Ranji season marked a coming of age for the Andhra batsman. He scored 627 runs in eight video games at a mean of 89.57, together with three centuries and two fifties, which earned him a spot on India A’s current tour of Sri Lanka. He managed 63, 20 and 45 in opposition to Sri Lanka A, however he is aware of these numbers aren’t sufficient on their very own.
“I must seize the alternatives. In India it’s not straightforward to get one, and after I get an opportunity, I ought to be accountable, as a result of there’s a lot competitors. I need to get the Check cap. That’s one thing I’m working in the direction of. However on the similar time, I shouldn’t get determined. It’s a course of. From Beneath-19, I got here to Ranji and now India A. So to get to the following step, I ought to evolve as a batsman,” he says.
A part of that evolution has meant studying to bat in opposition to the Kookaburra ball. Through the A sequence in Sri Lanka, Rasheed admits struggling to select the Kookaburra deliveries, and leaned on coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar for assist. “I’m grateful for that A group tour, as a result of after I went I didn’t know tips on how to bat in opposition to the Kookaburra ball. As a top-order batsman I used to be struggling to select which facet the shine was on. It was a brand new expertise for me, as a result of I’d by no means performed with it. So Rishi Sir helped me discover ways to decide the shine. If I’m not going to select it, then I’d solely be surviving,” he says.
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Rasheed credit his current kind to a behavior of shadow follow earlier than video games, picked up throughout the IPL and continued ever since. “Earlier than a recreation, I shadow follow loads. For instance, if I’m going to face Mitchell Starc in my subsequent recreation, I’d shut my eyes, think about he’s bowling at me, and play the pictures. Be it defence or taking part in pictures, I’d do every thing.” He saved it up by means of the home season too, when he scored three centuries in 4 matches. “With regards to home cricketers, I be certain that I get the movies from the analysts and guarantee I comply with the identical routine. Visualisation performs a giant position for me within the build-up to a recreation,” he says.
Whereas his friends made headlines within the IPL, Rasheed, regardless of being with Chennai Super Kings for 3 seasons, performed solely six matches. This season he watched from house earlier than heading to the CoE for the red-ball season. Requested if it appears like a missed alternative, he disagrees. “The IPL was a giant studying curve for me. From Mike Hussey I discovered loads, significantly from his expertise of batting in numerous conditions. It was he who taught me to take management of the sport when a door opens, and tips on how to construct when you lay a platform. As a top-order batsman, these are invaluable classes for me. After an extended wait, after I performed the IPL, I used to be taking part in for myself quite than the group. After I get a possibility, I’d be a distinct batsman,” he says.
That’s the model of Rasheed no one has seen sufficient of but, the one his coach retains insisting is coming. For now, there’s the throwdown specialist, the ball that damage him, and the demand to have it bowled once more.
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