Afghanistan have played a solitary Test in India. But it’s taken them 14 years since they began competing among the big boys to be invited for a bilateral T20I series in India. The three-match series starting in Mohali on Thursday is worth ₹203 crore for the Indian cricket board – it is greater than Afghanistan’s annual revenue share from the governing body, ICC.
But the broadcasters and BCCI need not worry. This is the visitors’ format of choice and
Afghanistan have played a solitary Test in India. But it’s taken them 14 years since they began competing among the big boys to be invited for a bilateral T20I series in India. The three-match series starting in Mohali on Thursday is worth ₹203 crore for the Indian cricket board – it is greater than Afghanistan’s annual revenue share from the governing body, ICC.
But the broadcasters and BCCI need not worry. This is the visitors’ format of choice and they are no underdogs.
Their bilateral calendar does not reflect the ground covered by this war-ravaged cricket-loving nation in a short span of time. They are yet to play a bilateral T20I series against Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka among full member nations. If anything, the upcoming series should spur them on to put on a show. There’s no bigger headline in cricket than getting into an arm wrestle against India.
Afghanistan’s biggest strength is spin. Even though the expected dew in Mohali and smaller ground dimensions at Indore and Bengaluru will pose a challenge, expect their highly skilled spin attack to find a way. What makes Afghanistan spinners tick? Almost all of them – Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad and Qais Ahmad -- other than senior off-spinner Mohammed Nabi have an element of mystery about them. A magic ball is always around the corner. Creating dot ball pressure is something they have mastered from playing 1,233 T20s collectively.
“One thing I would say, at practice I see the three of them bowling in a net together or the four of them bowling in a net; they're always working hard together and (exploring) how they can improve. They're not just very reliant on Rashid,” Afghanistan's English head coach Jonathan Trott said during the recent ODI World Cup in India.
In the current series, they will have to do without ace spinner Rashid. (He has travelled with the squad but is still in recovery after lower back surgery). Even the others have plied their T20 trade in leagues around the world. Afghanistan is perhaps the most travelled squad because their lighter bilateral calendar gives them room to play in multiple global franchise leagues.
It’s something the authorities are beginning to take notice of. Mujeeb, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Naveen-ul-Haq were cautioned when they expressed desire to be released from central contracts.
The series should throw up some exciting one-on-one battles. The returning Virat Kohli -- he will miss the first T20 for personal reasons -- and Rohit Sharma will be looking to break free early in their innings, to prove a point. If Kohli is forced to walk out in the powerplay, it’s almost certain Mujeeb, adept at bowling with the field restrictions, will look to trouble him. His googly went through the gate five seasons ago in IPL; both will remember.
There’s 19-year-old left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad who is already proving to be an ideal foil to Rashid for Gujarat Titans in IPL. Here, he may have more to do. For India, there’s the experienced Kuldeep Yadav in competition. It will be a contest worth watching.
“When he's (Noor) practicing, you hear that ball fizzing. It's a real talent for such a young lad to be able to get that many revs on the ball and spin it, the amount he does; that's all I say to him, 'just keep spinning it as much as you can',” Trott said.
New-age spinners keep rolling down the conveyor belt in Afghanistan. There’s also the new kid on the block, Qais, who has already taken his fast leg-breaks to many global leagues (148 T20s).
If spinners don’t call the shots, Afghanistan have Farooqi and Naveen, who come with pace, skills, variations and IPL experience. Although Naveen has made up with Kohli following their heated exchange in the last IPL, their match-up will keep the crowd entertained.
For the most improved white-ball team in international cricket – their wins against England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the ODI World Cup were proof – they are also a fast-improving batting side. All-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai continues to impress and even earned himself an IPL ticket at the recent auction in Dubai. Skipper Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz come up with all the shots and will look to fire against India to back their bowling.
“Playing against India on their home soil is difficult, but we are here to win, show our skills,” Zadran said in Mohali on Wednesday. “We have lots of good players in T20 and we are good in this format. I am sure we will perform well. We have one of the best spinners in the world, we have fast bowlers as well. But our aim is to improve batting skills.”
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