Ranji Trophy: Andhra’s Shaik Rasheed heeds Dhoni’s advice of not thinking about IPL, credits CSK camp for format-specific preparation

Rasheed has been retained by CSK for the upcoming IPL 2024 season, but the youngster says he “wasn’t expecting it”, and going by what Dhoni advised him, he’s not thinking about it as well.

Rasheed drives well, has control over his pulls, and plays the ball under the eyes. | Photo Credit: V. RAJU/THE HINDU

Shaik Rasheed is a classical strokeplayer. When he middles the ball, a loud ‘thud’ off the bat echoes across the ground, and that happens more often than not. He drives well, has control over his pulls, and plays the ball under the eyes.

“My game is to play along the ground. That’s my strong zone. I don’t hit the ball in the air,” Rasheed said after scoring 32 off 80 balls for Andhra in the Ranji Trophy match against Bengal in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

Throughout his innings, the whole of the Andhra camp clapped after every ball he faced. There was hooting and appreciation for the youngster playing his sixth First-Class game.

“(Hanuma) Vihari bhai has been motivating me a lot. I have been talking to KS (Bharat) as well. I am learning from all these senior players,” he told  Sportstar.

The 19-year-old grabbed eyeballs after scoring 94 in the 2022 ICC U-19 World Cup semifinal against Australia. He went on to make his debut for Andhra in the same year. His potential was such that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) too didn’t hesitate to pick him in its 2023 squad.

For Guntur boy Rasheed, CSK captain MS Dhoni is not only his idol but now his mentor as well. “I talk to Dhoni bhai and he asks me to play my game by understanding it first and then practice it.”

Rasheed is learning and gaining experience on the job. He says, “My preparation was not correct earlier. I used to practice for all formats similarly. After going there (CSK camp) I understood that I have to prepare differently for each format.”

Rasheed has been retained by CSK for the upcoming IPL 2024 season, but the youngster says he “wasn’t expecting it”, and going by what Dhoni advised him, he’s not thinking about it as well. 

“If I’m playing Ranji Trophy then I only think about Ranji Trophy. That’s what Mahi-bhai told me, ‘Whatever you’re playing now, just think about. Don’t think about the past and future.’”