Afghanistan cricket team is set to create a history on June 14, as the war-torn country ventures into the world of Test Cricket as a full-fledged International Cricket Council (ICC) member against India at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Afghanistan Cricket has traversed a long way in a short span of time from the formation of Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in 1995 to becoming a full-fledged ICC member nation in June 2017. Now, the Afghanistan team will be stepping out donning the All-whites of Test cricket against mighty India. The one-off test match series will be a David and Goliath contest, as Afghanistan will make the most of the opportunity presented to them, while India will be looking to avoid a defeat at the hands of Asian minnows.
This is an historic feat not only for the Afghanistan Cricket team but also for the millions of Afghanistani’s, whose lives have been ravaged in some capacity by the civil wars and the rise of Islamic extremism in the last 3-4 decades. The country did not and could not afford to invest in sports infrastructure and the National team, and due to the insurgencies and wars majority of the players part of the current team grew up and trained in the refugee camps. The road to country’s first test match, is well and truly an inspiration for the other ICC associate member nations, while it is one of the greatest sporting story of defying odds.
The host India has announced a new team with some of the senior players rested for the one-off test series, while Virat Kohli’s deputy Ajinkya Rahane will lead the Indian cricket team on this momentous occasion. With several new faces getting the opportunity, it up to them to cease it and make sure that they are flying out with the team, as India is set to tour England during the English summer. However, Afghanistan has strong bowling line-up with IPL’s standout performer Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman along with veteran Mohammad Nabi in the ranks. The Afghan team will be brimming with confidence in their first-ever official test match.
India vs Afghanistan 2018 Schedule
Date: Jun 14, Thu-Jun 18, Monday
Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Matches: 1 Test Match
Time: 9:30 AM IST
India vs Afghanistan 2018 Squad
Afghanistan Cricket Team
Asghar Stanikzai(c), Mohammad Shahzad, Javed Ahmadi, Ihsanullah Janat, Rahmat Shah, Nasir Jamal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Zahir Khan, Amir Hamza, Sayed Shirzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Wafadar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
India Cricket Team
Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cheteshwar Pujara, Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Karun Nair, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ishant Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Dinesh Karthik, Navdeep Saini
