Conditions never bother me, I focus on my skill-set: Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan says he is never bothered about conditions, never puts on himself the pressure of performance and just focuses on his own preparations and skill-set while competing. Khan, one of the most successful cricketers that Afghanistan has produced, will ply his trade for new-entrants Gujarat Titans in this IPL beginning on Saturday, having played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous editions. The upcoming edition will be played largely in Mumbai, where the conditions would suit spinners, but Khan said he does not think on those lines.

"Actually, I have played a lot in Dubai. As spinners, Mumbai will offer you turn and bounce and you need that. I never think about conditions a lot, but the important thing is your preparation and I always focus on that," Khan said in a virtual interaction with media on Tuesday.

"My mindset is never that everything depends on me and I have to win matches for my team. When you start thinking about all these, your game gets affected. I like to keep it simple and I just want to give my 100 per cent effort in every match.

The results are not in my control but I can always control the effort and process. I have never taken extra pressure," the leg-spinner added. A lot changed in his home country after Taliban took over to rule the strife-torn Asian nation and Khan said it posed a different challenge for Afghan people and the cricketers.

"Well, yeah, definitely, different challenges at different stages. It all makes you eventually stronger and it gives you so many things to learn. It is kind of a motivation for me to do good for my country.

Lot of things have changed, but I should not change my mind and game," he said. "The IPL is a big stage so you have to be mentally strong. I will try