5 min learnUp to date: Aug 29, 2026 12:17 PM IST
On the BCCI Centre of Excellence, Shaik Rasheed has simply taken a blow to the ribs. It’s sufficient to ground him, pressure a brief break, an ice pack, a second to take a seat. 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 subsequent 30-odd minutes he works by way of it, his back-foot cowl drives the choose of the lot by the top.
It’s the affect of Joe Root in him, a batsman whose movies he watches continuously, idolises sufficient to have the identical “66” on the again of his T-shirt. “I watch numerous Root’s movies,” Rasheed tells The Indian Specific. “I actually like his back-foot punch cowl drive as a result of it’s my favorite shot. Once I see his batting, I study loads. I can join with him. Once I watch him play, I really feel I’m taking part in. I wish to study 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 workforce. 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 towards Sri Lanka A, however he is aware of these numbers aren’t sufficient on their very own. (SLC)
Rasheed nonetheless has a protracted technique to go. However the indicators are encouraging. Having come by way of the India Below-19 workforce that gained 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 median 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 towards 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 isn’t straightforward to get one, and once I get an opportunity, I ought to be accountable, as a result of there’s a lot competitors. I wish 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 Below-19, I got here to Ranji and now India A. So to get to the subsequent step, I ought to evolve as a batsman,” he says.
A part of that evolution has meant studying to bat towards the Kookaburra ball. Throughout 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 workforce tour, as a result of once I went I didn’t know the right way to bat towards the Kookaburra ball. As a top-order batsman I used to be struggling to select which aspect 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 learn to choose the shine. If I’m not going to select it, then I might 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 in the course of 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 might shut my eyes, think about he’s bowling at me, and play the pictures. Be it defence or taking part in pictures, I might do every little thing.” He stored it up by way of the home season too, when he scored three centuries in 4 matches. “With regards to home cricketers, I make sure that I get the movies from the analysts and guarantee I observe 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 residence 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, notably 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 the right way to construct when you lay a platform. As a top-order batsman, these are worthwhile classes for me. After a protracted wait, once I performed the IPL, I used to be taking part in for myself slightly than the workforce. Once I get a chance, I might be a special batsman,” he says.
That’s the model of Rasheed no person 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.
