India’s veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is looking forward to the one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand. He called for more solidity from Afghanistan’s batting, which has mostly relied on Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah. Ashwin went on to compare the early exploits of Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif to Afghanistan’s Riaz Hassan and Bahir Shah. He expressed hope that the Afghan youngsters could achieve something similar to what Yuvraj and Kaif did in the early 2000s, contributing to India’s success and rise in the sport over the coming years.
“This one-off Test will be fun to watch. We know Afghanistan produce insane talent but the one area of solidity and stability they need is from their batting department. They have Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah oozing class but not much else to follow, and that is why I am excited to see what RIAZ HASSAN and BAHIR SHAH have to offer. Both of them are promising and their first class averages are in excess of 55. The first signs of India’s strong future came via @YUVSTRONG12 and @MohammadKaif in the 2000’s as they came through the U-19’s, that is why these 2 players could give us a sneak peek into what Afghanistan may go on to accomplish in the next decade or so,” Ashwin tweeted on X.
One-off Test between AFG and NZ
Opening batter Riaz Hassan is among the three uncapped players included in Afghanistan’s 16-member squad for the one-off Test, alongside all-rounder Shamsurrahman and pacer Khalil Ahmed. This will be the first-ever Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand, to be played at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground from September 9. Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the Afghanistan team in the absence of Rashid Khan, who is recovering from a back injury. Pacer Naveed Zadran will miss the Test due to a side strain.
Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah have been vital cogs in Afghanistan’s Test team, but this time their middle-order needs to step up and take full advantage of the opportunities.
