Tom Moody, the Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach is not surprised at all by Afghan leg spinner Rashid Khan’s success in the first two matches of the IPL. “I’m not surprised, that’s why we were keen to get him in the auction. I’ve watched him bowl over the past 12 months and been very impressed with what he’s capable of doing. He, along with Mohammad Nabi, are the couple of the reasons why Afghanistan have really grown as a cricketing side over the last year or two. I'm just thrilled for him that he's had an early opportunity to get familiar with IPL cricket and feel comfortable out in the middle, and he's clearly very comfortable.’’
Talking of wrist spin bowling the Australian said: “The one thing with leg-spin bowling is that all leg-spinners can spin it both ways. That's one advantage. The other advantage is, if you're a spin bowler like Rashid who can spin it both ways and with the ability to disguise which one it is that's going left or right, makes it doubly difficult for any batsman. It's one of the reasons that Sunil Narine, not that he's a leg-spinner, has been such a handful over a long period of time; he turns it both ways with mystery. So Rashid has a very good wrong 'un and he's also got a good leggie. He bowls at generally a lot quicker pace than most leg-spinners, which is suited to the Indian wickets. He's obviously found some good form early.’’
When asked if the small ground here make things difficult for Rashid Khan, Moody responded by saying: “No, not at all. The batsmen have got to hit him first, don't they?... for the size of the ground to come into contention. He like any spinner is going to be challenged on smaller grounds. But traditionally the surface here offers something for spin bowling , it bounces a bit and also turns a bit. So he'll relish the conditions out in the middle. With T20 cricket, there are going to be times when you are hit out of the ground, that's all part of it. It's just how you respond to that is the most important thing.’’
Touching upon the form Yuvraj Singh has shown, Moody said the left hander is quite relaxed and happy space. “He missed the first half of the tournament (IPL 2016) due to an ankle injury last year. When he joined us, I noticed a sense of contentment with himself and with his game. He felt very relaxed, he enjoyed the environment that we have at the Sunrisers. I think Yuvraj is just enjoying his cricket and that's the most important thing for anybody. Whether it's a young or an older player, if they're enjoying what they are doing, they tend to be at their best. And Yuvraj is seeming to be very relaxed and enjoying what he's doing; he's content with everything both on and off the field, he's in a pretty happy place. He's obviously a very important member of our side because he's such a dynamic player.’’
Moody also felt that a good start in the IPL enables a team to get some positive momentum and helps a long way in building the team’s confidence.
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