Ish Sodhi has expressed strong admiration for Rishad Hossain, saying he is eager to see the young leg-spinner feature in Test cricket.
The New Zealand spinner, who shares the same craft, spoke highly of Rishad’s ability and potential, highlighting his unique style compared to many Asian leg-spinners.
Sodhi, who made his Test debut in Chattogram in 2013, has since become a limited-overs specialist. He is New Zealand’s most-capped T20I player (140 matches) and is closing in on the country’s leading wicket-taker, Tim Southee.
Rishad, meanwhile, is currently more established in white-ball formats. While he has started to make an impact in ODIs alongside his T20 success, opportunities in first-class cricket have been limited, restricting his exposure to the longer format.
Despite that, Sodhi believes Rishad has the tools to succeed in Tests.
“He’s playing really well. His performances in the Big Bash show how versatile he is,” Sodhi said. “In Asia, leg-spinners are often skiddy and flat, but he’s more traditional — he bowls with flight and gets bounce. We haven’t seen many like that in this region for a long time.”
The 33-year-old also revealed that he has been in touch with Rishad via social media and is hoping to meet him during the ongoing tour.
“He’s a very promising cricketer and generates a lot of spin. I hope he gets a chance in Test cricket. It would be great to see more leg-spinners in that format again — it’s quite rare now, but he definitely has the skill,” he added.
Sodhi noted that their conversations have gone beyond cricket, and he expects the 23-year-old to keep improving.
“I’ve spoken to him a few times, not just about cricket. Hopefully we’ll meet during this series and discuss his game. He’s very talented, and I believe he will continue to get better,” he said.
