With the flavour of the season being the IPL, the first Ceat cricket rating award for 2017-18 was presented to Rashid Khan in the ‘T20 bowler of the year’ category. The Afghan whiz kid received the award from Tom Moody, coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“Nothing special about my bowling, it’s all about my talent and belief. Also my bowling action and body action make it difficult for the batsmen to read,” said the 19-year-old.
Talking about Afghanistan’s inaugural Test against India in Bengaluru in June, Rashid expressed happiness about the historic contest.
“Playing India in India is a dream for every player. It’s a proud moment for me, the team and Afghanistan. Hopefully, we will be able to give a tough time to India,” said Rashid.
Future stars
After recollecting his team’s performance in the IPL, Moody named Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw as the “future stars” of Indian cricket. He added that Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti were bowlers with potential.
The award winners:
International cricketer of the year: Virat Kohli; International batsman: Shikhar Dhawan; International bowler: Trent Boult; T20 bowler: Rashid Khan; T20 batsman: Colin Munro; Outstanding innings: Harmanpreet Kaur.
Domestic player: Mayank Agarwal; Under-19 player: Shubman Gill; Popular choice award: Chris Gayle; Lifetime achievement award: Farokh Engineer.
