Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], February 8 (ANI): Ahead of his side's ICC T20 World Cup clash against New Zealand, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan, who is just four away from 700 T20 wickets, said that he does not think about the milestone that much and he wants to bowl in tough situations for his team.

Also, on a joking note, he said of hoping to touch the 7,000-wicket mark.

Rashid's men, who had stunned the world by slaying giants like New Zealand and Australia on their way to a T20 World Cup semifinal berth, will aim to replicate their heroics and maybe go a little further in more familiar Asian conditions when they start their campaign against New Zealand in Chennai on Sunday. With 696 scalps in 515 matches at an average of 18.49, with 18 four-fers and four five-wicket hauls, he is the leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket, and with age by his side at 27, he has plenty of time to not only breach the 700 or 800 mark, but even aim for 1,000 wickets.

Speaking about the milestone during the pre-match presser, he said, 'I only played 9-10 years of international cricket overall and then to be someone leading wicket taker is something more than a dream for me, T20 cricket came I do not know around 2004-05, we had players playing and played a lot, but for me to achieve that (highest wickets in T20s) was something very special, but I never counted my wickets, I only knew it in the media, ok I have reached 400, 500, 600, but I really do not think about it much, I only try my best, every single day, I have to keep performing well for the team, I have to pick up wickets, I want to bowl in a tough situation where team needs and that made me focused, but what I achieved, I still sometimes thinking like 700 wickets is not something small, getting there it needs lots of time and lots of hard work, but I am blessed and I am so, so happy that reaching that milestone and hopefully we will make it to 7,000.'

Speaking about the media chatter about his team moving out of their underdog phase or still being there, the star spinner said that the team does not talk about these things at all, and it all depends on what one does on the field.

'Sometime you perform, you become number one, when you do not perform, you become number two or number three or number ten, it all depends on what you do in the middle, you get that names, what you do in the middle and for me, we are not much believing on these things, we can be like a team to upset people, things like that, I do not really trust these things, as long you are fully committed in the ground, giving 100 per cent, you will be the best team, does not matter you lose as well, but you will still - people will see you put the effort on and you had all the efforts there in the ground and I think that is more important, but the tags you get, it is just like a media stuff,' he added.

Rashid also pointed out that when a team starts to beat bigger teams, expectations grow, as it has been with Afghanistan, after beating top teams like New Zealand, Australia in the T20 World Cup, South Africa in T20Is and defending champions England, former champions Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the 2023 World Cup.

'Twelve years ago, you would not have thought that Afghanistan would reach the semi-final and even for us, just participating in the World Cup was the biggest thing, but now it is not just about participating, you have enough skills to beat the team, but as long you are very strong mentally and physically, and you put the efforts in the ground,' he concluded.

Squads: Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Ishaq, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi, Abdullah Ahmadzai New Zealand Squad: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert(w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner(c), Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy, James Neesham, Matt Henry, Devon Conway, Mark Chapman. (ANI)