Indian cricket has long produced batters who grew up watching Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Shaik Rasheed, however, has chosen a different template. The 21-year-old Andhra batter looks to England great Joe Root for inspiration and is trying to build the kind of technique and temperament that can stand up to the demands of Test cricket.
Rasheed's admiration for Root goes beyond simply following the former England captain. He wears No. 66 on his jersey and regularly studies videos of Root's batting. Among all the shots in Root's repertoire, the back-foot punch through the covers is the one that has caught Rasheed's attention the most.
