"I love high catches, try my best to get under the ball": Rashid Khan

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], May 3 (ANI): Gujarat Titans premier spinner Rashid Khan expressed his "love" for high catches and the effort he makes as he took a stunner during the run-fest encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

During the Sunrisers' pursuit of a daunting 225-run target, Rashid's moment of magic in the field turned the tide in Gujarat's favour. On the third delivery of the fifth over, Travis Head attempted to take on Prasidh Krishna by taking the aerial route but failed to scale the distance.

Rashid sprinted towards the landing zone and dived to his right with a little bit of slide to complete a stellar catch. The floodgates opened from that point, and Gujarat capitalised on the window of opportunity and secured a 38-run triumph.

"To be honest, I love those high catches. In practice sessions, I do enjoy it when the ball is away from me, and that's something we all have been working for. I had it in my mind that I had to get there. I try my best to get under the ball, and then I can manage myself to catch it," Rashid said in media conference.

Rashid credited the hard work and the tweaks he has made over the past two weeks. He specifically pointed out the improvements he made in his sprint, which have made his job much easier in the game.

"I think I covered that area a second or two earlier, where I could get the time in the end to manage myself and go a little back and get the catch. For the last one or two weeks, I have been working with my trainer, especially on sprinting. I think it has helped me in giving me that quickness in the sprint, and that's why we practice. Once we practice, it becomes easier in the game. Yes, it was tough, but I felt I could get there, and I tried my best to have a proper sprint," he said.

After the match, Jos Buttler referred to the sizzling field effort. "The way Rashid set the tone to get Travis Head, it was a huge wicket."

Apart from his magical piece of fielding, it was a forgettable night for Rashid, considering the bashing he received at the hands of hard-hitting Hyderabad batters. He bowled three overs, went wicketless and conceded 50 runs at an economy of 16.70, the highest by a player among both teams.

Despite Rashid's off-coloured outing, Gujarat cruised to victory with consummate ease and moved level with table-toppers Mumbai Indians on 14 points each, separated by a net run rate of 0.407. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)