“Have a lot of love, respect and freedom in the MI Family”: Rashid Khan

The skipper has touched down. Rashid Khan, after putting in some clutch performances for MI Emirates has flown in to lead MI Cape Town’s crown-defence. He interacted with the media ahead of the first game at Newlands, and the warning bugle was sounded. Excerpts.. 

Preparations leading into the first game 

It has been great so far. Guys reached here earlier and had some good practice games. I had some good games in the ILT20. Everything looking in great shape as last year. Whatever we did last year went well and we will try to keep things the same. Nothing much will change, just need to focus on the effort we put on the ground. 

On the pressures of being the defending Champions 

To be honest, more pressure last year than this year. We finished bottom twice in a row and to come from there to win the trophy was a big thing for us. We played collectively as a team and took responsibility at certain points in the game. I think that is what is very important. Whether it is stopping a couple of runs, that good fielding gives good energy to the team. We just wanted to give our 100% in the ground, whether it is in batting, bowling or fielding and not look at the result. That will be the target for us this season. Each and every one of us knows their responsibility in the team and I think every one is professional and experienced to understand their role to do it for the team. 

On the squad for season 4 

Every player is experienced. They will adjust themselves with the conditions and the position of the team quite quickly. Everyone is quite professional. They have played so much cricket around the world. We’ve played alongside Nicholas Pooran a lot. A lot of players have played with each other. They know my role in the team. I don’t think it will be that difficult to adjust with the team. Everyone is very excited for the games to start. As a captain I will try my best to give the freedom and the environment for the new faces for him to feel relaxed. I will be there to support the brand of cricket he wants. It won’t be very demanding. It will be a lot of freedom to play the kind of cricket a youngster wants to play with all seniors there to support them. 

His predictions for the final

That’s too far (laughs). It’s a long way to go. It’s going to be next year (laughs) in 2026. We are all here to play good cricket. I am not much into the results but into the efforts. No matter where we end up, if you put in the right efforts every time you get onto the ground, you will end up getting the results you want. 

On Nicholas Pooran coming in 

He’s going to bring a lot of energy to the game. We know how dangerous a cricketer he is. I have played a lot with him and know him as a good person. Definitely he’s going to play some exciting innings and the Newlands fans are going to love him. He’s the kind of person who comes and smashes sixes. A guy full of energy and entertainment. I’m sure he’s going to love his time here. The way fans supported us through the difficult times was very important. Pooran is going to have great support here. He’s going to smash it and play some good innings here.

On Head Coach Robbie Peterson 

He is playing an important role. I am always trying to discuss with him. It’s not just about the skills, but the mindset and the experience. He has played a lot of Test cricket. He has played a lot of harder cricket compared to me. He played the World Cups, he represented South Africa against the best sides in the world. I always try my best to discuss things with him. Sometimes in games, your mind doesn’t work. He’s the most experienced spinner we have in the team as the Head Coach and I always try to learn from him. For every youngster, it is a great opportunity to have that one month to learn from him. Not just skill wise, but on how to react in different situations. 

Whether he has some new variations up his sleeve 

As a player, you always need to have something new. You cannot keep repeating yourself at practice without trying something new. It might take some time to get some variation in my bowling. Like making my action slower was pretty hard for me. Somehow I adjusted and it helps me bowl the slower one. It has really helped me take a lot of wickets. In the last three-four years, I was trying in the nets to perfect it. All the youngsters should be trying to do something you might need in the future. You should not be restricted for options. It’s up to you as a bowler on the kind of work to put. A batter now has so many options to hit, so many shots. It should be the same for a spinner, to have options and to know what to bowl in tough times. 

On the MI Family

It all started here in MI Cape Town. I had a great time wherever I went. The kind of respect I received, the love I got and the freedom as a player is more important than anything else. I feel I have been given so much respect and freedom. The environment around the team is very important. It affects your game and if the environment is good, you deliver your best on the ground. That’s why I have been in this setup wherever I go. I know everyone so well. MLC, MI Emirates, MI Cape Town, hopefully we continue this all around the world. I try my best for the team. I am lucky to be in this family and I hope till I play cricket, I retire in MI as well.