Rashid heaps praise on 'god-gifted' India sensation

Afghanistan's champion leg-spinner Rashid Khan was full of praise for India's sensational young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, calling him "god-gifted".

Rashid has faced Sooryavanshi in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where the teenager has emerged as one of the format's most talked-about young hitters.

Sooryavanshi burst onto the international stage scoring 439 runs in the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2026, which included a jaw-dropping knock of 175 off just 80 deliveries in the final before going one better in July 2026, when he was handed his India T20I cap by Tilak Varma at Old Trafford at the age of 15 years and 99 days — breaking a record for India's youngest international debutant that had stood since Sachin Tendulkar's 1989 Test debut.

Rashid was asked what elevates Sooryavanshi beyond obvious natural talent.

"Well, as I mentioned – fearless cricket. And he backs up his skills and knows his shots. I think his shot selection is more important, and he knows his game plan against any side, any bowler, anytime," Rashid told The Times of India in an exclusive interview.

"You hardly see those kinds of things at a very young age; it comes with time, but he already has it. The way he plays fearlessly is what makes him unique. And the power he has, the hand-eye coordination; I think it is something very different. You hardly see that in any other player. He is a god-gifted talent."

Asked whether facing Sooryavanshi felt like facing a younger version of himself, Rashid was quick to play down the comparison.

"I wasn't that talented, to be honest, at that age, but yes, the skill was there. But I don't know if I could hit those big sixes at that age, how he has been hitting. But as I said, he is a unique talent, and he has shown it not only in the IPL, but even in the Indian team as well, so I think he is someone very special."

On Ibrahim Zadran and Afghanistan's rise

Rashid's own leadership of Afghanistan's T20I side came to an end in March 2026, when the Afghanistan Cricket Board handed the captaincy to Ibrahim Zadran following the team's group-stage exit at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Asked what he had learned the hard way as captain that he now passes on to his successor, Rashid said, "I have learnt so many things. Sometimes you put too much pressure on yourself, which doesn't make it fair. As a captain, you try to put everything on yourself, and that has happened to me."

"I feel like those are the moments you need to just calm down and focus on your game, focus on your skills, and focus on your game plan. Not think too much about what is going to happen in the result, but think about the process, how it is going to be; as long as you have process in the mind, I think everything will be fine."

Zadran, 24, had previously served as vice-captain and had already led Afghanistan in 11 T20Is between 2023 and 2025 in a stand-in capacity, winning five and losing five, before his permanent appointment.

Rashid strongly believes that the opener is the right long-term choice to lead a young Afghanistan side.

"One thing I like about him is the hard work he puts in, and he is someone who always wants to lead from the front. You need someone like that who is very consistent and who is very straightforward," he added.

"I think he is the kind of person who is always trying his best to set an example for the youngsters and show them this is the way to go. I think he is a very honest guy, a hard-working guy, and someone who has the ability to lead the team and to help the guys grow with him."

Afghanistan's growth into a side capable of troubling the traditional powerhouses has been years in the making, built on a string of results against higher-ranked opposition.

"We have hardly beaten big teams, but when we started, we started here (in India) in the 2023 World Cup, where we beat England; before that, we beat Pakistan in the bilateral T20 series, so I think all of it started from there, and then beating Sri Lanka, beating Pakistan in the World Cup," Rashid recalled.

"We did well at the T20 World Cup (2024), got into the semi-finals, so that belief started that we are in that category where we can beat big teams, so it all started from there. But it's about us now, how we are going to manage and how we keep this continuing."

Afghanistan's growth into a side capable of troubling the traditional powerhouses has been years in the making, built on a string of results against higher-ranked opposition.

"We have hardly beaten big teams, but when we started, we started here (in India) in the 2023 World Cup, where we beat England; before that, we beat Pakistan in the bilateral T20 series, so I think all of it started from there, and then beating Sri Lanka, beating Pakistan in the World Cup," Rashid recalled.

"We did well at the T20 World Cup (2024), got into the semi-finals, so that belief started that we are in that category where we can beat big teams, so it all started from there. But it's about us now, how we are going to manage and how we keep this continuing."

"One unfinished thing is to win the World Cup for team Afghanistan. That is something I am looking forward to. We had a great opportunity in the 2024 (T20) World Cup where we reached the semi-finals, but we couldn't make it to the final. So, I think that is something to yearn for – an ICC event (trophy) until I play."