The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has played a major role in uplifting the game of cricket in Afghanistan over the years. At the same time, the Indian Premier League (IPL) also helped the Afghani players become global sensations. It certainly reflected in the recently-concluded ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in which Afghanistan ended sixth on the tally with 8 points, securing a spot in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Former captain Mohammad Asghar Afghan also believes that it’s the Indian cricket board which helped them portray themselves as a competitive side in the international circuit while the IPL polished the Afghan players so much that they are now being named among the top athletes around the globe.
“Honestly, BCCI has played a big role in Afghanistan’s cricket development. They supported us a lot. Since 2014 till date, BCCI has been very supportive. We were given a home ground. Afghanistan loves cricket and its cricketers,” Asghar told The Times of India in an exclusive interview.
A memorable interaction with MS Dhoni
Afghan, who played 6 Tests, 114 ODIs and 75 T20Is, recalled a light-hearted conversation with legendary MS Dhoni during the Asia Cup 2018.
The India vs Afghanistan game in Dubai saw the latter stepping back into the captain’s shoes as stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma was rested. Chasing 253, India needed 7 runs off the last six balls but Rashid Khan’s brilliance didn’t allow the men in blue to cross the finish line and the game ended in a tie.
Once the game ended, Afghan had a long chat with Dhoni which he recalled during the interview.
“After the tied match, I had a long chat with MS Dhoni. He is a superb captain and a god’s gift to Indian cricket. He is a nice human being. We spoke about Mohammad Shahzad a lot. I told Dhoni Bhai that Shahzad is your big fan. Dhoni said Shahzad has got a big tummy and if he loses 20 kg, I will pick him in the IPL,” Afghan said.
“But when Shahzad returned to Afghanistan after the series, he gained 5 more kgs,” he added.
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