Do you want Rashid Khan here? Trott’s cheeky response to too many questions on spinner

Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott had a cheeky answer to a reporter during the press conference as there were too many questions about Rashid Khan after the loss to India. The Afghan skipper once again stepped up for his side as he picked up 3 wickets for just 26 runs in his 4 overs against India and was the pick of the bowlers. Rashid’s effort went in vain in the end as India won the match by 47 runs.

During the press conference, a lot of the questions were about Rashid and why he decided to bowl himself out by the 14th over. While Trott answered most of them, the Afghanistan coach had a smile on his face when another reported posed a question on the star spinner. Trott joked if everyone wanted Rashid to be there at the press conference instead of him as he shared the light moment with them.

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“Do you want Rashid to do the press conference?” said Trott.

The reporter went on to ask what made Rashid a special player and Trott said that the star spinner is always looking to grow as a player and is a great example for youngsters across the globe.

“I think with all great players, that’s a lot of the time it’s what they do off the field that’s not in front of the cameras and the way they conduct themselves. And obviously, Rash is sitting here and he won’t mind me saying, but setting high standards for themselves that take others with them and inspire other people. And work ethic, desire, ability to listen and learn, and always wanting to grow and discover, try new deliveries, and push the boundaries on your own game.”

“Sometimes I think as players, and at times I was maybe like this, as a player, you try and hold on to what you have and you don’t want to grow as a player, you try and protect what you’ve got. I wish I had pushed myself with regards to testing my game and pushing the boundaries on what I could achieve as a player. I think Rashid sets a great example for that for all younger players, not only in Afghanistan but around the world and in India and the IPL and across the globe so yeah that’s all I can say really and he bowls pretty well as well,” said Trott.

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No qualms about Rashid bowling out early

Trott also said he had no issue with Rashid bowled out early and he felt the rest of the 16 overs weren’t good enough in the end.

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“Look, I think when the captain decides when he bowls, I don’t have a problem with the way Rashid finished and when he did. If he had taken another wicket or if he had got Pandya out last ball, we would be sitting here saying it’s a masterstroke. So, I think hindsight is a fantastic thing. I don’t think Rashid finishing the game or finishing his bowling in the 14th over is the problem why we lost the game. No, I’m just saying, I’m saying it’s not the reason why Rashid finished in the 14th. There’s other 16 overs where people have got to bowl better. So, I’ve absolutely no qualms and yeah, that’s my answer,” said Trott.

Afghanistan will next play Australia on June 22.