I’ve accepted it’s going to be hard, says Rehan Ahmed ahead of England’s Test tour of India
Abu Dhabi, Jan 19: Ahead of England’s Test tour of India starting on January 25 in Hyderabad, young leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed said he has accepted the fact that it will be challenging for him to excel in the sub-continental conditions of the upcoming series.
Ahmed is one of the four spinners in England’s Test squad alongside Jack Leach, Tom Hartley, and Shoaib Bashir. He played his only Test match against Pakistan in Karachi and took seven wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings, on his debut in the format.
“I still get shocked when I get picked. It’s Test cricket, it’s a big thing, I think about it every day. It is the hardest game ever. I’ve accepted it’s going to be hard. I’ll try my best. That’s all I can control.”
“I’m just looking forward to playing Test cricket again. I will try and hold my speed a bit in India: with the wicket doing what it does, less time to react is the best way to go,” said Ahmed to The Telegraph.
Ahmed had registered himself for the IPL auction, but withdrew later. Asked about it, he said, “The least I could do is make sure I’m fully ready for whatever I can be for England. There’s a lot of time for IPL and stuff if I get the chance again, and if I don’t get the chance to do it, I’m fine with that as well.”
“I spoke to a couple of people - if you want a long career, you don’t want to burn out too soon. Just being ready for England is my main priority.”
Ahmed is currently with the England Test team in Abu Dhabi for a pre-series preparatory camp. From Hyderabad, the series between India and England will happen at Visakhapatnam (February 2-6), Rajkot (February 15-19), Ranchi (February 23-27) and Dharamshala (March 7-11).
Ahmed also spoke about the learnings he took from senior leg-spinner Adil Rashid during the white-ball tour of the West Indies last month. “I speak to Rash a lot about bowling. I don’t like when I get told loads of technical things. I’m more tactical, so about field placings and plans.”
“I get more talking about that than talking about footwork and front arm. We both understand I’m not the bowler he is, he’s not the bowler I am - completely different, which makes it more interesting.”
“Rash went through a lot, I think, when he was younger: he got picked and then he didn’t play for England for six, seven years. And then he came back and became the best in the world. So he’s made a pathway for us.”