Cricket World Cup: India On Guard Against Afghan Spinner Rashid

Virat Kohli-led India are not underestimating the threat that Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan poses, Indian all-rounder Vijay Shankar admitted to the media in Southampton, England ahead of Saturday’s World Cup match against Afghanistan.

“Every day is different, and every wicket is different. You cannot take things for granted,” news agency Reuters quoted Shankar as saying on Friday.

“Tomorrow might be a completely different scenario where we’ll have to target him, or we might have to play off. So it is just about adapting ourselves to different situations as quickly as we can.”

Most of the Indian batsmen are comfortable against the turning ball and will hope to dominate the spin-heavy Afghan attack led by leg-spinner Rashid.

Shankar, who shares the Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room with Rashid in the Indian Premier League, said he had tried to read the wily 20-year-old spinner at nets.

“He’s definitely one of the best bowlers right now in limited overs, and he has done well,” Shankar said about the poster boy of Afghan cricket, who tops the list of T20 bowlers and is ranked third in the ODI list.”

Earlier, Shankar had a memorable World Cup debut against Pakistan, claiming the first of his two wickets and scoring 15 not out.

Shankar was picked to bat at number four but Hardik Pandya’s better ball-striking ability earned him a promotion against Pakistan.

Shankar denied feeling under pressure to match Pandya’s power-hitting. “The pressure will always be to deliver whatever the situation demands. So it’s not about how powerful,” he said.