‘They see Moeen Ali bowling off-spin and Adil Rashid bowling leg-spin, and want to do it’

Virat Kohli has an expressive face. Bewilderment is something you rarely find on that face while he bats. But in the third ODI at Leeds during India’s tour of England in 2018, Adil Rashid managed to evoke such a reaction with a ball that reminded many of Shane Warne’s ball of the century to Mike Gatting. Rashid’s leg-break drifted towards the master batter and turned sharply to disturb the off stump. It may not have been quite as spectacular as the late Aussie magician’s immortal ball, but it was against Kohli.

Last week, on the same ground, Leeds, his home ground, Rashid reached a significant milestone. He became the first England spinner to take 200 ODI wickets, during the second game of the five-match series against Australia. The 36-year-old spoke to The Hindu over the phone from Leeds. Excerpts:

We are seeing a lot of young spinners coming into the England team. Two of them, Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir, made their Test debut on the tour of India early this year, Rehan Ahmed made his in Pakistan before that.

I am happy to find so many of them coming through. And there are a few more apart from the ones you have mentioned. You know you have to find people to replace the other people — the batsmen, the seamers, the spinners. You have got to find the next.

So hopefully when my time is up or when I finish or whatever the circumstance is, the spinners are ready to jump in and do what I have done in the previous years. That’s the ultimate aim. And at this moment in time, there are a lot of spinners coming through — through Lions and the County system. So the future is looking bright for spin bowling.

Well, it wasn’t so when you took up leg-spin. What made you take it up when the style was not very fashionable in England?

My father got me into leg-spin from a young age, when I was six or seven. He just threw me the ball — this is how you bowl leg-spin. He told me about what he knew of cricket. He didn’t play professionally, but he just liked his cricket. And he taught me the basics of leg-spin.

And then as time goes on, you find you are ok, and then you start meeting coaches. You start improving and start playing. And that was how things unfolded. It was just purely from my dad getting me into it from a young age and me enjoying it and just letting things flow.

England has had quite a few spinners of Asian origin. Monty Panesar, Moeen Ali, Bashir, Rehan. Is it a coincidence, or are those from Asia better at turning the ball?

They saw myself and Moeen as role models when they were growing up. That is just a default thing — they see Moeen Ali bowling off-spin and Adil Rashid bowling leg-spin, and they want to do it. Sometimes I feel like I am a role model. They want to copy me and certain aspects of my life. But now there are definitely spinners coming from different backgrounds, religions.

Leader extraordinaire: Rashid enjoyed his time under Eoin Morgan, who he says was ‘the ultimate package as a captain’. | Photo credit: Getty Images

You have been a part of two World Cup-winning England teams.

On top of the list of my career highlights would be England winning an ODI trophy [in 2019] for the first time and obviously the T20 World Cup in 2022. Winning a World Cup is ultimately what you want to do in terms of international cricket. It is the highest achievement in football or any other sport. And for myself, fortunately, I have been playing and doing enough to win two.

There was a period of two or three years when we were working towards winning that [2019] World Cup. Going into the World Cup we didn’t have everything going our way; there was a period where we had to win all four or five games to win the World Cup. So every game we played was like a final. We beat the best teams out there and did really well.

That England team was a remarkable one: fabulous batting line-up, plenty of all-rounders, a potent, varied attack and a marvellous captain in Eoin Morgan. Was that the best team you have been part of?

Personally, I think from 2015 to the 2019 World Cup win, that period of four or five years has been the best squad ever in the history of England cricket. I enjoyed being part of that because we had a new method. We had a different mindset. We were trying to make a different brand of cricket. That is where we started the whole brand of positivity and fearlessness and aggressiveness. Things just started to unfold. It was well led by Morgan.

Is Morgan the best captain you have played under?

Definitely, without a doubt. It was how he handled things and what his mindset was, and how he rubbed off on people. He was the best in terms of his vision, how he handled individuals, his body language and the confidence he gave his team, his players. And also on top of all that there was his leadership. He was a leader, he was very humble but he was very well respected as well. He was the ultimate package as a captain. He is also a very good friend of mine.

All-timers: Rashid, seen celebrating the 2019 World Cup triumph with Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali, says that squad has claims to being the best in English history. | Photo credit: Getty Images

Do you regret that you could play only 19 Tests?

Not really. When I started playing cricket, I didn’t actually think I would play 19 Tests. So for me that is a good achievement. My T20 and ODI stuff went on the rise. So it was a fortunate thing. Maybe if I played more Tests, I might not have played more ODIs and T20Is, so it works hand in hand. I am quite fortunate with how things have fallen into place.

You became an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) last year. How much did that recognition matter to you?

That is obviously a big title to have here in England. You know, you get recognised by the King, you get recognised by the people for your outstanding achievements, not just in cricket but what you do off the pitch as well, in terms of the work you do, maybe helping communities and individuals in life. It means a lot to my family, too. Especially for a boy who has come from a place where he had very little resources and facilities and to then become what I am today.

You bowled Virat Kohli in the first Youth (Under-19) Test at Canterbury in 2006, after he made 123.

I remember bowling a lot to him. We became good friends. Back then, we thought he would become a world-class player, but probably not to the extent he has become. I definitely thought this guy had something special in him and that he would go a long, long way. Today, he is one of the best batsmen ever in the history of cricket, across formats.

(This interview was facilitated by Sony Sports Network, which is broadcasting the ongoing England-Australia ODI series)