Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf has applauded the Indian duo of KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya for playing a vital role in his rise as an international cricketer. The Pakistan speedster was a net bowler and uncapped for Pakistan when he met the pair of Rahul and Pandya in Sydney during India's tour down under in 2018-19. Plenty of water has since gone underneath the bridge as Rauf is now a full international and even represented his nation at the T20 World Cup in UAE at the back end of last year.
“When I was net bowler for India, I had bowled to them in Sydney in the nets. So I had told them once that I would one day bowl to them in an international game. And both Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul had told me that I have the potential to bowl at international level. They gave me a lot of confidence,” the 28-year-old told paktv.tv.
The 28-year-old was successful in dismissing Pandya, in the curtain-raiser for Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in UAE last year where Pakistan remained unbeaten in the group stages. He was also adjudged 'Man of the Match' in the win against New Zealand for scalping four wickets. Pakistan's run though ended in dismal fashion as they were eliminated in the semi-final stage by eventual winners Australia, thanks to Matthew Wade's late cameo.
“Then when I met them recently at the T20 World Cup, they remembered all our conversations. We had a discussion over it as well and they were really happy for me watching me play for Pakistan. When you play with good players you learn all the good things. I always try to learn good things from such players,” Rauf concluded.
Rauf made his international debut in January 2020 against Bangladesh in a T20I fixture. His exploits with Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Melbourne Stars and Baluchistan didn't go unnoticed as he was awarded a central contract by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). His hat-trick for Melbourne Stars was an indicator of him getting selected for the national side for the first time at the age of 26. He has since represented Pakistan in 34 T20Is and eight ODIs and taken 41 and 14 wickets respectively.
