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One of the most amazing fairy-tale in the history of any sport should be the rise of Afghanistan. The war trodden country, coming out of it, taking up the sport and performing amazingly well at the world stage. The people too have embraced the sport, credits to Taliban for creating this exception that allowed Afghanistan to reach this stage. The journey for Afghanistan formally began in the 2000s when they were selected as an affiliate member to the ICC. And from then on there was no turning back. They failed to qualified for the ICC World Cup in 2011 but got the ODI status. And eventually they qualified for the 2015 World Cup where the team performed good. They have produced some of the finest players in the recent times. The likes of Dawlat Zadran, Mohammad Nabi,the captain Stanikzai, stylish Mohammad Shahzad and obviously Rashid Khan have made great contributions to the game. Khan meanwhile is proving to be a success for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Afhganistan’s First Test Match
It was not long ago that the team earned the Test Status and was roaring to play their first test match. After offering the Noida Cricket stadium as the home ground for the Afghans, BCCI ensured that the No.1 Test Side in the world will play against the Afghans in their first ever test match. Trust me, the day this news broke, I was over the moon. I’ve been a supporter of Afghan cricket ever since they became a part of the cricketing fraternity. Their first test match is scheduled to take place in Bengaluru from June 14 (and just now I’m thinking to buy the tickets and probably go to Bangalore to witness the match)
There’s a Villain in every story – England Tour
India will be touring England in July, one month after the Afghanistan test is played. The Indians we know have always struggled in the English conditions. The Woakes and Andersons have always troubled the Indians with chin music everywhere. So the idea of leaving early and getting some match practice in England is a welcoming decision. However, missing Afghanistan’s First Test Match doesn’t amuse me much. First it was only about Kohli, but if reports are to be believed 8 more star players will not feature in the test match against Afghanistan. Kohli has signed a month with Surrey while Pujara is already playing for Yorkshire – they were bundled out for 50 !
As a spirited supporter of the sport and the Afghanistan Cricket team, I feel that this act is demeaning. Afghanistan Cricket surely deserved much better. I also support the Indian team that reaching England early will help them get used to the conditions. Nevertheless, they can very well play the Afghanistan test before flying out to England. The T20 starts from 3rd July while the test series don’t start until August. T20 and ODI in my view are India’s strength, they might have struggled earlier, but the team is good for these two formats. Test Match, yes that’s a major concern. And getting some match practice before the test match is a good idea. But not by missing the Afghanistan Test.
What do you think ?
This post may be out of my support for Afghanistan and the emotions would have taken over, but I surely want the full-fledged Indian team to take on the field against Afghanistan in the test match. The Afghans have fought the world with their brilliant cricketing skills to reach this stage. And fielding a back up team isn’t nothing more than disrespect. Whatever it is, that’s my opinion. If you follow Cricket, what do you think about this ? Don’t you want to see Afghanistan face the current Indian team in their first ever test match ? Answer the above poll and share your comments below or tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj.
