One-handed high catch, leg-stump-uprooting googlies, flamboyant shots and selfies: Rashid Khan dazzles in Dharamsala | Cricket-world-cup News

The sun is beating down at the HPCA Stadium. The Dhauladhar Himalayan range, in all its magnificence, stands witness. It is the venue most are craving to visit during the 2023 World Cup. But the Afghanan national team is the first one to grace the green.There is a tingling excitement among the few present to witness them train. Just then, a groundstaff member’s phone rings. Picking it up in haste, he despondently utters, “Lage huye hai yaar, Rashid Bhai de naal ek photo leni hai. (Still trying. Have to take a photo with Rashid Bhai.)”
A photo is all most of them need; with one Rashid Khan. But they have to wait. Right now, the Afghan wizard is pumped up for the fielding drills.
Afghanan coach Jonathan Trott is fetching boundary stops. Rashid makes a run from deep midwicket to long-on before unleashing one of those famous shoulder pain- inducing bullet throws back to Trott. “Will take it,” the latter utters.
The former England batsman may just have invoked the leg spinner’s fury. The next throw is even harder and assant coach Raees Ahmadzai faces the brunt of it. But that’s not it. A one-handed high catch with the sun flashing hard on his glasses, and off he goes onto the nets to flex a bit more. The selfie-enthusiasts follow.
There’s an approximate three-minute walk from the main ground to the nets and the time one reaches the steel barricading which separates those watching from those playing, one sees Rashid arriving with a drinks carrier in both hands. For all his stardom, even on the biggest of stages, Afghanan’s biggest player remains a team man. Seldom do 12th men in cricket get the cameras flashing so briskly. Still no selfies though.
Dharamshala: Afghanan’s players during a practice session ahead of their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh, in Dharamshala. (PTI Photo)
The leggie is the first to arrive and with the three stumps intact, he can’t res rolling his arm over straightaway and sending the leg-stump cartwheeling with a perfect googly. It’s the delivery he bowls most often on the day. Rahmat Shah is the first to face him. The right-hander has managed to negotiate three back-to-back deliveries angling into middle-and-leg stump and Rashid doesn’t look pleased.
After a next front-foot defence, he collects the ball and fakes a throw followed a killer look towards the batsman. A couple of deliveries later, he does throw the ball. But cautiously, one bounce before it passes to the right of Shah and to the wicketkeeper behind him.

It’s a signal that the usually-mild-mannered Rashid has flicked the switch. When conditions are harsh and wickets aren’t coming, he knows how to introduce a bit of needle in the middle.
Star and mentor
But soon after, one can see him mingling and laughing out loud with his fellow spinners. Safe to say, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmed are inspired him. Mujeeb stops a shot and can’t res half-faking a throw to the batsman. Noor, on the other hand, is all too transfixed Rashid’s grip for his leg-break. The 18-year-old’s query sparks a boerous laugh from Rashid, who has five grips for bowling leg-spin. Which one does Noor wish to know about?
His tutor demonstrates. At first, it looks like the one where he leaves a bit of space in the seam. But on prolonged gaze, it resembles more the tighter one where he holds the seam with his index and middle fingers. It’s all a bit confusing.
Dharamshala: Afghanan’s players during a practice session. (PTI Photo)
For Rashid though, it’s nowhere near the end of his training session. Off he goes to chisel his batting strokes. The frustration increases amongst his fans, still eagerly waiting for that one opportunity.
There aren’t many flashy pinch-hitters like Rashid, who’s earned a repertoire of quick cameos in the T20 format. Be it the Big Bash, or the IPL. More recently, he’d kept Afghanan in the hunt in a near-300 run chase inside 37.1 overs during the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka. It’s only right that he takes his time to ensure a theatrical build-up to his arrival in the nets.Most Read
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But once he does, there’s little delay in the flamboyant strokes coming out. A few soothing cover drives are followed slashing cut shots. The short ones are pulled. Even the quicker bowlers are played with dextrous feet movement either side of the wicket. Back-of-a-length deliveries are met with advances down the track. Before Afghanan’s first World Cup game, Rashid Khan bats longer than he bowls. But once he stops, those watching him begin to move. Closer to the gate he’ll leave the net session from.
This might be their last chance to get that one photo they’ve wanted for the past three-odd hours. Perhaps in the know of it, perhaps having heard a few dozen ‘Rashid bhai’ screams from dance, their selfie star makes it happen.
A few are taken. The sun is beating down. Dharamsala will be brighter in October than in the past few months. Rashid’s presence makes it even more so.