Play Bumrah on merit not fame, UAE great Khurram’s advice for batters

The Asia Cup kicks off — in a T20 avatar this time — in the UAE on Tuesday, with skipper Rashid Khan's Afghanistan taking on qualifiers Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi. However, things will really warm up when the Men in Blue take on hosts and minnows UAE the next day at Dubai International Stadium.

Records say the head-to-head between these two mismatched opponents in T20s is 1-0 in favour of India, and 3-0 in ODIs. This, because there are hardly any opportunities for the associate country to take on the superpower. Now that there is one, Muhammed Wasim’s men should give it their all as there is nothing to lose.

Khurram Khan, a former UAE captain and one of its best batters ever, came up with some time-tested advice: don’t let the reputation of the rival cricketer affect you, whether batting or bowling. ‘’Yes, they have never played Jasprit Bumrah, but my suggestion to (Muhammad) Wasim & Co. will be, don’t get bogged down by the names, just play the ball. Treat each delivery on merit and wait for the next ball — who knows, it may be a loose delivery for you to hit.’’

Speaking to National Herald, Khurram said this is the mantra he keeps giving young batters at his academy too. ‘’Frankly, nobody is expecting you to beat India but trust your training, skillsets. As underdogs, there should be no pressure on UAE. In this format, two or three good performances on a given day and you never know what can happen,’’ said the man who captained the UAE between 2004 and 2014.

A resilient top-order batter and useful left-arm spinner, Khurram played a key role in the UAE qualifying for only its second ODI World Cup appearance in 2015 in Australia, becoming its leading scorer with 425 runs in nine ODIs. His biggest recognition came when he was named ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year the same season, though he was deputy to Mohammed Taqueer in the 50-over showpiece Down Under.

Looking at the bigger picture and UAE’s chances in the tournament, Khurram felt greater exposure to the T20 format should help it punch above its weight. ‘’The shortest format is most popular in the UAE as most of the leagues in each emirate play it, while we are still work in progress in others. The current bunch has done quite well in it as they beat Bangladesh in Sharjah sometime back.

‘’A look at their group shows that Pakistan and Oman are the remaining teams apart from India. The boys have played enough cricket against these two teams and will be playing under conditions that they know like the back of their hands — so there is no reason they can’t pull off a surprise or two,’’ said Khurram.

The prospect of UAE facing off against India in a major tournament has created quite a stir among the Indian diaspora in Dubai. The excitement has filtered up to UAE internationals too — with Chirag Suri, a star opener and vice-captain only a few years back, being one of them.

Replying to a query, Chirag said: ‘’See it’s like this: if you can’t play for India, play against India. If you can play well against them, then who knows, other doors will open for you. My only piece of advice to the current team is to enjoy the moment and try to play your natural game. In my 10-year career, I never got a chance to play against India.’’