PSL 2021: Haider Ali wants to mirror Rohit Sharma's batting style

• Peshawar Zalmi batsman Haider Ali talks about his favourite player Rohit Sharma
• Says he wants be as "free-minded" as Sharma is
• Team work contributed towards Peshawar Zalmi's win against Quetta Gladiators, says Ali

KARACHI: Pakistan and Peshawar Zalmi’s young batsman Haider Ali has once again expressed the wish to emulate Indian batsman Rohit Sharma, saying he wants to be as free-minded as Sharma is.

In a post-match interview after Zalmi’s win over Quetta Gladiators in a nail-biting game, the 20-year-old said that Sharma was always his favourite batsman.

“My favourite player is Rohit Sharma, I’ve always liked him and want to emulate him, he plays with a free mind and I want to do the same,” Ali said.

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Ali, who was part of Pakistan’s U19 squad earlier, has now played 10 T20Is and 2 ODIs for the country. He feels people always expect more from the player once he gets the label of an international cricketer and it increases responsibility on players.

“Once you play for your country, people’s expectations increase which makes you work even harder and give 100% in each game you play. I try not to disappoint fans who have expectations from me,” he said.

“I want to be the best batsman here and even if I am not, I want to be among the top five batsmen of Pakistan Super League,” Ali said about his goals in PSL 2021.

Read more: Peshawar Zalmi beat Quetta Gladiators by 3 wickets

Talking about the game against Gladiators, Ali said that it was team work and everyone contributed to the victory. He hoped that Zalmi will continue with the momentum in the matches to come.

“Everyone contributed to the win. Imam scored in the start, Shoaib Malik chipped-in in the middle and then towards the end, it was Rutherford who did it for us. So it was a collective effort,” Ali said.