T20 World Cup 2026: Rashid hopes Afghanistan pulls its weight in well-known Indian conditions
As Rashid Khan addressed the media on Thursday, he was asked which win would be considered the biggest upset of the T20 World Cup.
The Afghanistan captain smiled and said, “Whoever comes in the final.”
Living up to the expectations will be a challenge for Afghanistan. Rashid admitted that with most of the teams having a fair idea about the conditions in India, Afghanistan wouldn’t enjoy any added advantage.
“(Players from) all the teams have been playing the IPL here in India. So, there will be no extra advantage for Afghanistan. It’s all about how you perform on that day and how you play your best cricket,” Rashid said.
Over the last couple of years, there have been debates on whether the bowlers are losing relevance in the T20s. However, Rashid made it clear that staying calm and sticking to their strength is the key for a bowler.
“As a bowler, I’ll never accept that the opposition will have 200 on board. If the opposition is having that mindset, you need to stay calm and plan accordingly. If you are bowling in good areas, there is no way the batter is going to hit four or five sixes to you,” he said.
As Rashid spoke, England captain Harry Brook gave him a patient hearing. While the England captain remained confident of the team’s chances, he dead-batted questions about Pakistan pulling out from the game against India. “We just stay in our lane and it’s up to the ICC and the others who have agreements and disagreements. We are just here to enjoy and play as well as we can,” Brook said.
Published on Feb 05, 2026
