England debutant Shoaib Bashir described the “awesome” experience of taking the wicket of India captain Rohit Sharma on the opening day of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.
Bashir repaid the faith shown in him by the England selectors as he went on to claim the wicket of Axar Patel and finish with two for 100 in 28 overs.
The 20-year-old off-spinner told TNT Sports: “That (Sharma) was the highlight – he’s such a good player of spin and for me to get his wicket as my first is very, very awesome.
“It was a tough pitch to bowl on, it didn’t offer too much, but I thought the way the boys went about it was awesome and for us to pick up six wickets puts us in a good position going into tomorrow.”
Bashir, who was called up for his international debut having made just six first-class appearances, paid tribute to England captain Ben Stokes for giving him the confidence to step up.
“In the huddle he just said, go out there and enjoy it and remember why you started playing the game, and you’ve got nothing to lose,” added Bashir.
“That gave me so much confidence going in. The guys have been so supportive and welcoming, and that takes the best out of you as well.”
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe