Hyderabadi `touch’ to Rashid’s record spell

Physio Prasanth played a big role in Afghanistan leg spinner's recovery from finger injury.

Hyderabad: There was a Hyderabad ‘touch’ to Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan’s marathon record spell when the leg spinner bowled the most number of overs in a single Test in the 21st century. The leg spinner overtook Aussie spin legend Shane Warne’s record of 98 overs in a Test match against South Africa in Cape Town.

Rashid ended up bowling 99.2 overs in the second Test against Zimbabwe at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. This is also the most number of overs bowled by a bowler since 1998 when Muralitharan had bowled 113.5 overs vs England at The Oval. In the first innings Rashid bowled 36.3-3-138-4 and in the second innings, he bowled 62.517-137-7 to star in Afghanistan’s six-wicket victory.

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But Rashid should owe his monumental spell to Hyderabadi physio Dr Prasanth Panchada, who is now the Afghanistan team physio. Rashid had an non displaced intra articular fracture of his right middle finger while playing in the Pakistan Super League. He was ruled out for the first Test before Prasanth worked on Rashid’s badly damaged middle finger. “It was in bad shape and it needed very good care.

He joined the camp in Abu Dhabi and got a repeat X-ray and put him in customised splint. I had to be very careful, it was his spinning finger and any pressure would mean serious damage. He had his rehab with me before getting a green signal from me to play in the second Test.

“Initially, I tried to build his bowling volumes and gradually into his spin bowling. We didn’t use a single pain killer throughout his bowling. But I admired the way he fought and bowled gamely, may be with pain also. He has a strong mindset and his willingness to deliver for his team and nation was admirable. Whenever there was pain, he would grin and smile before he went back to bowl another spell. Remember he was bowling with a healing fracture,’’ said the 40-year-old Prashanth from Abu Dhabi.

Rashid, who has an affinity with Hyderabad as he is the star bowler for Sunrisers Hyderabad, acknowledged Prasanth’s effort. The former Hyderabad Ranji physio, joined the Afghanistan team last year. “Rashid and the rest of the teams were thrilled with my role after the team’s win in the second Test.”

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