India, Aug. 30 -- Shaik Rasheed is emerging as one of Andhra's promising young batters, but unlike many Indian youngsters who grew up idolising Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, the 21-year-old has taken inspiration from England great Joe Root. Rasheed regularly studies Root's batting and even wears No. 66, while the back-foot punch through the covers has become one of the shots he particularly admires. His focus is on developing a technique and temperament suited to the demands of Test cricket.

That determination was evident during a recent training session at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, where Rasheed took a blow to the ribs and briefly had to step away. After recovering, he returned to the nets and specifically asked for the same deliver...