00:00You have some very good spinners in your team, New Zealand has got a huge line-up,
00:08so you think you will mush it up, your spinners will mush it up with them.
00:11How was the wicket like?
00:13Well, I think, yes, we do have good spinners, but still you have to bowl well and still
00:20you have to bowl in the right area and definitely they have a good batting line-up and I think
00:28you can't really much think about the opposition a lot.
00:31You have to think about yourself, what you can do best on the day,
00:34what is your best game and what you can do better on this condition.
00:39Wicket looks good, I think looks good to bat on, but still the experience you have of playing a lot in IPL in here,
00:47I think you have to use that experience here and where you can bowl the best to the batter,
00:52so it's going to be a good game.
00:54Rashid, lot of talk about this particular group being the group of death,
00:59because there are three teams and only two qualify.
01:01Do you think, look at it that way or is every T20 normally a group of death anyways?
01:06Well, in World Cup, that's where it goes.
01:10You don't get the things easily.
01:13It's always very tough and that's the beauty of T20 cricket.
01:18You hardly get the easy things like you have to pass through the tough lines to achieve something bigger.
01:24I feel like that's something which is a challenge for us.
01:27If you want to achieve bigger things, we have to go through tough routes.
01:30We have tough oppositions, but still you have to keep that belief in yourself and keep pushing yourself in the ground.
01:38You know, as we have done in the 24 World Cup, we have beaten big teams and I think the confidence is there,
01:44but it's just about making sure we do the right things at the right time and more importantly we enjoy cricket.
01:50And that's my second question is, you've gone to ICC tournaments, reached semi-finals till now.
01:57Do the boys really believe that, you know, they have it in them to take that next step, actually win those crucial games in the semi-final,
02:04the final then pick up the trophy?
02:06Well, before going to the 24 World Cup, we haven't set the target for ourselves, the semi-finally the target.
02:12The target was to play good cricket, good brand of cricket.
02:15You know, what we can do that we make things harder for the opposition team and what are the areas we need to improve
02:22where we can beat the opposition side. So I feel like those are the areas we are focusing on is the same for this World Cup as well.
02:29We don't really set the target for ourselves. I don't mind where we finish, but as long the energy remains on top in the ground,
02:37the effort remains on top and in the body language. I feel like that's for me more important than winning and losing the game.
02:43So as a team, that's the mindset. We go against any opposition, put that 200% effort and then we see the result.
02:52In this World Cup, a lot of new teams have joined, maybe USA. How do you feel about that?
02:59And in Afghanistan, younger generation players, what is their continuity?
03:07You know, it's always good to have more teams in the World Cup. You know, that's why lots of nations come in.
03:15You know, you see some lots of talent, new talent, which you haven't seen. And different teams come in.
03:22They give tough time to the opposition teams. And I think that's how the World Cup becomes bigger and bigger,
03:30where more countries come into it. You know, it doesn't matter if you're losing or winning the game,
03:34but you show to the world that we're capable of beating any side, any time, as long as you have that belief.
03:41So, plus, second question was, Afghanistan's young generation. It's good to see them, like, you know,
03:47they're taking the responsibility and performing and some good youngster, promising youngster coming up.
03:54We'll take a little bit of time, but definitely, it's going to be a huge, huge for Afghanistan cricket in the future.
04:09First off, all the best for tomorrow's game. Afghanistan has been doing pretty well in the recent years,
04:15including the 24 World Cup. You spoke about how well you've progressed as a team. But the tag of underdogs has not gone away.
04:23Like, how do you see that? Do you see that as a motivation or do you see that you've moved past that underdogs stage?
04:31Well, that's just the media discussion. I think, you know, we never talk about those things.
04:38It's good for the media. I think where people just love it, calling different names to different teams.
04:44It's something which nowadays is just a kind of rules and regulation. You give different names to different teams.
04:51Sometimes you perform, you become number one. When you don't perform, you become number two, or number three, or number ten.
04:59It all depends on what you do in the middle. You get that names, what you do in the middle.
05:04And for me, like, you know, we're not much believing on these things. Like, we can be like a team to upset people, things like that.
05:15I don't really trust these things. Like, as long as you are fully committed in the ground, giving 100%, you will be the best team.
05:24Doesn't matter, you lose as well, but you will still, people will see like you put the effort on and you had all the efforts there in the ground.
05:32And I think that's more important. But the tags you get, it's just like a media stuff. Like, you know, it's, it's, I don't know, it's something different, which I can't really much talk about it.
05:44Definitely, when you're growing up slowly, slowly, and you start beating big teams, you know, I think the expectation goes bigger as well from you.
05:54And ten years, twelve years ago, you wouldn't thought that Afghanistan will have reached a semi-final.
06:01And even, for us, just participating in the World Cup was the biggest thing. But now, it's not just about like participating. And even, you have enough skills to beat the team.
06:11But as long as you are very strong mentally and physically, and you put the efforts in the ground.
06:18Back, back home, you don't have that many tournaments like you have in India.
06:23Like, age groups, you know, in India, we have a lot of tournaments. How do you keep your skill sets intact?
06:29And how is that Afghanistan keeps producing quality spinners? I don't know another thing, Manav.
06:34Well, we don't have much cricket in Afghanistan, to be honest, especially short of Amit.
06:40We have four-day cricket, but not much of the wide-ball cricket.
06:44And then, sometime for you as a captain, it becomes very hard to pick the team, because you don't have much of the options right there.
06:55Like in India, lots of tournaments happening every day, and you see lots of talents there.
07:00And you have so many options, so much competition.
07:04For me, what we're missing at the moment is competition.
07:08And I think that's so important for every team.
07:11When you have competition, you will try your best, you will work very hard.
07:17Anybody from Afghanistan wants to play for Afghanistan Spinner, he knows what should I do, what is the level.
07:26To compete with Rashid, to compete with Noor, to compete with Mujib, the target is set up very high, and I have to work very hard.
07:35And I feel like if we get that kind of competition in the batting as well, we're going to go to a different level.
07:41But it only comes when you have a very strong domestic cricket.
07:47We have lots of competition back home.
07:50That's where you can get the talent.
07:53And I hope we focus more on domestic cricket, where we get more opportunity for the youngster to showcase their talent,
08:02and then you bring it up to the national team.
08:05Hopefully that happens, but whatever you see, whatever you see on TV, I think it's all just a natural talent.
08:13And we haven't gone through lots of tough cricket, especially in domestic.
08:20Cricket is a little bit easier, but once we make that harder, I think it's going to become more easier for us in international cricket.
08:28No question?
08:29You have…
08:30Rashid, you're on the cusp of 700 T20 wickets.
08:39What is it like to be on top of the mountain like that, with records that are barely believable at your fingertips?
08:48Feeling nullah.
08:53It's a great feeling, I feel, to be someone at that time.
08:58Like, you know, I only played nine, ten years of international cricket overall,
09:04and then to be someone leading wicket taker, it's something more than a dream for me.
09:08T20 cricket came, I don't know, 2004, 2005, where players were playing and played a lot.
09:15But for me to achieve that was something very special.
09:20But I never counted my wickets.
09:23I only knew it in the media.
09:25Okay, I have reached 400, 500, 600.
09:28But I really didn't think about it much.
09:32I only tried my best every single day.
09:35I have to keep performing well for the team.
09:37I have to pick up wickets.
09:39I want to board in a tough situation where team needs, and that made me focused.
09:45But what I achieved, I still sometimes thinking like 700 wickets is not something small.
09:53Actually getting there, it needs lots of time and lots of hard work.
09:57But I am blessed, and I am so, so happy that reaching that milestone, and hopefully we will
10:04make it to 7,000.
10:06Thank you very much.
10:07Thank you very much.
10:08Thank you very much.
10:09Thank you very much.
10:10Thank you very much.
10:11Thank you very much.
10:12Thank you very much.
10:13Hi, Rashi.
10:14You spoke about the main spinners, yourself, Mujib, Noor, and even Ghazanfar coming along.
10:19So even after the main line, there is Arab Gul who did very well with you in the ILT20.
10:24So even the under-19 spinners are coming around.
10:27How happy are you to see the next line of spinners following yourself, Noor, and Ghazanfar?
10:32Well, pretty much happy.
10:34You know, as I mentioned, like, for us, like, you know, there is lots of competition.
10:40You know, everyone you have in the back.
10:42You know, someone who is performing really well.
10:44And that's something which is quite pleasing to see, you know, for me as well, especially
10:49like all the youngsters, if I'm not playing tomorrow, if I'm not there, we have the backup
10:56and we have the options where they can come up with the good skills and do well for the
11:01team.
11:02And like you mentioned Arab Gul, there is Kais Ahmad who is ready, you know, who is performing
11:09really well.
11:10Mujib is not there.
11:11We have Ghazanfar, we have Waheedullah Zadran who is doing well in under-19.
11:17Then Noor Ahmad, we have Waqar Salamkhil.
11:20Like everyone is having like a perfect, perfect backup, which is great.
11:26And it made us push a lot.
11:29It makes us like to work very hard.
11:32You know, if we don't take things seriously, they are the one who is going to step in.
11:37You know, if you don't perform in cricket, you can't be just playing and playing.
11:40And like, you know, I don't think so nowadays name should be like always, always, always
11:45there.
11:46I think if you're not performing, youngster will be more, will have more hunger than you
11:51and will have more commitment than you.
11:53So you have to step back and give him an opportunity.
11:56So that's why we have to keep pushing ourselves.
11:59And that's why I set the target of 7,000.
12:06Rashid Bhai, some days do you and the team ever talk about, you know, having this dream
12:12of playing in Kabul in front of your own spectators, so to speak?
12:17That's bigger than the World Cup, to be honest, for me and for the team and every individual.
12:23Like, you know, for us that we play an international game in Afghanistan.
12:27And then all the media, all these people will see how people back home in Afghanistan are,
12:32how they're welcoming international players and how they're enjoying cricket.
12:37You know, that's something which is more than a dream to be playing international cricket in your own country.
12:46When you play IPL here, when you play an international game, we see how much their international stars
12:53are supported by the local fans and how much they give them love.
12:57Like, we get so much love, you know.
12:59I'm not saying we don't get love here, but whenever we play here, we get lots of love and lots of support,
13:06especially, you know, playing in IPL and then also World Cup we played.
13:10We have got a huge amount of support.
13:12We haven't felt like being away from Afghanistan.
13:15But when you play in your own country, it's a kind of different feeling
13:19and the world will see the country Afghanistan as well, you know, how beautiful it is.
13:25But hopefully, hopefully one day we make that possible, that international team comes and they play cricket there.
13:34Hi, Rashid, as the biggest ambassador of cricket in Afghanistan, how eager or would you like to see your women representing
13:44Afghanistan cricket team and coming out and playing ICC tournaments?
13:49Who?
13:50Women from Afghanistan.
13:52Women's team?
13:53Oh, well, definitely, you know, I feel like that's the kind of criteria for, I think, being a full member, I think so.
14:00You know, the ICC, the Afghanistan cricket board, you know, they have the better idea, but we love to see anyone representing Afghanistan on any stage.
14:11It's a huge, proud moment and you're representing your country.
14:16So, but definitely, yes, I think it's all about the decision to be taken by the ACB and ICC.
14:24You know, sometimes things as a player, you don't have much in the control.
14:28And we only think about the controllable things, you know, but in this situation, we are in a kind of situation where you can't really much have say in it.
14:41But yes, the support you have there, it's always there, but bigger, bigger people come in and they take the decision and they take it forward.
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