Published 16:31 IST, April 7th 2020
Shadab Khan picks Rohit Sharma, Steve Smith over Virat Kohli as 'toughest ever to bowl to'
Shadab Khan was likened to Steve Smith during the recently concluded PSL 2020 when the all-rounder promoted himself up the order and shone with the bat.
Pakistan cricketer Shadab Khan has been an all-rounder who has impressed many in a short span of time. The 21-year-old right-hander made his Pakistan debut in 2017 and even played the World Cup for his country in 2019. Shadab Khan has also played for the Brisbane Heat, the Dhaka Platoon, the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the Trinbago Knight Riders. On his home soil, Shadab Khan captained the Islamabad United team in the PSL 2020 and found new success as a batsman after promoting himself up the order.
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Shadab Khan calls Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith as the toughest batsmen to bowl to
As Shadab Khan talked on a YouTube video, he shed light on two of the most troubling batsmen that he has to face as a bowler. First was former Australian captain Steve Smith, who was very difficult to dismiss in Australian conditions especially. Khan, who bowls leg-spin, added that bowling to Smith in Australia is tricky because the Australian surfaces do not support too much spin. Interestingly enough, due to his exploits with the bat and the ball in PSL 2020, a lot of comparisons between Smith and Khan were struck. In the 2nd Australia vs Pakistan T20 in November 2019, Smith smashed 80* runs in the match while Khan's figures were 0/25 in his four overs. Khan has previously expressed his admiration for Smith as well and humbly rubbished comparisons made between them by the media.
The second batsman that Khan picked was Indian white-ball vice-captain Rohit Sharma. Interestingly enough, Khan picked Rohit Sharma ahead of Virat Kohli and explained how the margin of error when bowling to Sharma is pretty low. Khan added how bowling in Sharma's zone gets bowlers dispatched for sixes straightaway. Khan has been on the opposite end of Rohit Sharma's onslaught when the right-hander smashed 140 against Pakistan in last year's World Cup. Khan's figures in the match were 0/61 in his 9 overs.
IPL 2020: Future of the tournament uncertain
Rohit Sharma, Steve Smith, and Virat Kohli were all supposed to captain their respective teams in the upcoming IPL 2020. The tournament was supposed to begin on March 29 but the coronavirus pandemic led to the tournament being suspended till April 15. The BCCI is yet to provide further updates on the fate of the tournament.
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Updated 16:31 IST, April 7th 2020