The two World Cup wins have been the standout events of my career, says Rashid

Adil Rashid reflects on his friendship with Virat Kohli, his successful career, and upcoming ODI series against Australia.

In their first-ever meeting, Adil Rashid had Virat Kohli bowled. But the Indian batter had by then made 123. It was in 2006, in the first Youth (Under-19) Test at Canterbury.

“I don’t remember the dismissal, but I remember bowling a lot to him,” Rashid told The Hindu over phone from Leeds.

“We became good friends. Back then, we thought he would become a world-class player, but probably not to the extent he has become. I definitely thought this guy has something special in him and he will definitely go a long, long way. And look where he is today — one of the best batsmen ever in the history of cricket, across formats.”

Rashid has had more success in shorter formats. “I don’t regret that I have played only 19 Tests,” says England’s most successful spinner in limited-overs cricket. “When I started playing cricket, I didn’t actually think I would play 19 Tests. So that’s a good achievement for myself. Maybe if I played more Tests, I might not have played these many ODIs and T20Is. I am quite fortunate how things have fallen into place with me.”

He needs just one more wicket to become the first-ever England spinner to take 200 wickets in ODIs (he has 122 in T20Is, more than any other England bowler, of any style). That could happen during the ODI series, which starts with the first match at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

“I am looking forward to this series,” says Rashid. “When you are playing against Australia in any format — be it Test, ODI or T20I, with this ODI T20 — it is a big thing for England. We always have that rivalry there and that competition is high. So going to the ODIs, we are in high spirits, especially after the T20I series ended 1-1, because of rain in the third game.”

Rashid is proud of the two World Cups he has won with England — in 2019 (ODI) and 2022 (T20I). “Those two have been the standout events of my career,” he says. “Winning a World Cup is ultimately what you want to do in terms of international cricket.”