Home Articles ‘I used to have a lot of unhealthy food like Biryani but...
KEY STORY
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Emerging from a country in perpetual political turmoil like Afghanistan and becoming arguably the world’s best-spinner, Rashid Khan’s rise to stardom has been one of cricket’s most heartwarming stories in recent years.
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The wrist-spinner has not only shone on the international stage but made a name for himself in various franchise T20 leagues across the globe in the last few years. One of them is the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he has been a stand-out performer over the last few years playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
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However, as talented as Rashid is, his development has come on the back of a lot of hard work on his game and fitness. Like various top athletes across the globe, the 23-year-old has had to make a lot of sacrifices to establish himself among the elite in the game which includes changes in his lifestyle.
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Rashid stressed that improving his fitness has been being a key factor in improving his consistency as a player which he only realized after playing in the IPL for the first time in 2017.
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Talking to EspnCricinfo’s Cricket Monthly, he said, “Before 2017 – when I played the IPL for the first time – my consistency wasn’t as good, and the reason for that was my fitness. After playing a couple of games, my body wasn’t ready for the next couple, and that’s why the performances weren’t coming. But since the 2017 IPL, I saw how players took care of their fitness.”
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He added, “I was hardly going to the gym before that. Coming from Afghanistan, it’s pretty hard to understand these things when you don’t have the kind of facilities to see how important fitness is. It is more cricket there than about fitness.”
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Rashid also spoke about the drastic changes he made in his diet to stay fit.
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“I used to eat so much unhealthy food: biryani, breads, a bit of sweets. But since the 2017 IPL, I have stopped all that. Now mostly I have barbecue or grilled food along with salad. I decided if I want to be the best and if I have to improve my skills, I have to be fitter.
CONCLUSION
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“For a couple of years, I totally stopped eating biryani, breads and sweets. I have them once a month or when I decide to have a cheating day. But I do gym regularly. If I miss my gym, I don’t eat properly. As long as I can do my workouts, I can eat properly. That’s the kind of mindset every cricketer should have, because this is our job and we have to be fully committed to it. As long as you are fully committed, the performance will speak for itself,” said Rashid.
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Rashid is currently with the Afghanistan national team for the 2021 T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman.
