Rashid, Mujeeb & Nabi: Afghanistan’s Trump Cards Against India
On 14 June, the Afghanistan team will play against India at Bengaluru, in their first Test ever.
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When Bangladesh’s cricket team were given the Test status at the start of the millennium, the decision raised quite a few eyebrows. And why wouldn’t it? Prior to their promotion, Bangladesh had beaten only one Test team, Pakistan and took more than a decade to put up some fight against their oppositions.
However, on 14 June, when the Afghanistan team takes guard at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru against India in their first Test ever, you can be sure there won’t be anyone questioning the timing of the decision.
With youth being their forte, a lot will be depending on the four young spinners in the team. Vice-captain Rashid Khan, along with 17-year-old Mujeeb Zadran, have attracted attention for all the right reasons in the just-concluded eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). But it will be interesting to see whether the duo will make a successful transformation to the longer format of the game. As far as quicks are concerned, experienced seamer Dawlat Zadran will be missed as he is out with an injury.
Batting might turn out to be the Achilles heel for the Afghan team. The batting will be shouldered by captain Asghar Stanikzai, wicket-keeper and opener Mohammed Shahzad and batting all-rounder Mohammed Nabi, who has already played two seasons of the IPL.
Rashid Khan
World’s number one Twenty20 bowler and now Tendulkar-certified “best T20 bowler in the world”, Rashid Khan has been successful in mixing his leg breaks and googlies to make life difficult for the batsmen in IPL 2018. The self-confessed Shahid Afridi fan doesn’t fidget much with his line and length but bowls stump to stump at a steady pace, not allowing batsmen any time to get to the pitch of the ball.
Rashid is also agile on the field and doesn’t mind a quick dive to save a run or two or take a blinder. This IPL has also showcased his batting skills, where he took Prasidh Krishna of Kolkata Knight Riders to the cleaners, en route to his 10-ball 34.
Playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in this edition of the IPL, Rashid finished with 21 wickets from 17 matches at an enviable economy of 6.73, to be the second-best bowler of the competition after King’s XI Punjab’s Andrew Tye.
Mujeeb Zadran
In a war-stricken country, Mujeeb is certainly the odd one out, with his own private practicing facilty. Coming from a privileged background, Mujeeb fell in love with cricket while watching the 2012 World T20.
Mujeeb’s love for spin bowling made him practice with tennis balls, as he tried to bowl off-breaks and carom balls with them. With Ajantha Mendis as the mentor, Mujeeb developed the strength to propel the ball further with a flick of a finger.
With varied options available to him, from off-spin to leg-spin and googlies, Mujeeb has successfully deceived batsmen from the junior level to seniors in the IPL. Many Indian batsmen failed to read the 17-year-old in the T20 tournament and may have some problem picking him in the one-off Test match in Bengaluru.
Picked up by Kings XI Punjab for a staggering Rs 4 crore, Mujeeb did well to pick up 14 wickets in his 11 matches at a stingy economy of 6.99. With all the hype around him this year, he is expected to outdo himself in the next edition of the tournament.
Mohammad Nabi
Nabi was the first player from Afghanistan to be drafted in an IPL team. With the experience of playing in T20 tournaments all around the world, the former captain of Afghanistan is the quintessential all-rounder with supreme abilities of slipping into any role the team wants him to.
He is the complete player that every team would like have in their line up and thus the demand from franchises all over the world. Nabi can bat up the order, he can play the role of a sheet anchor, and he can hit those long sixes in the slog overs. As a bowler, he can be quite effective with his off-spins and often with the quick ball. With a pair of safe hands, Nabi is well equipped in the field too.
Stanikzai will be looking for Nabi’s guidance when he leads the side against India. Nabi has captained the side in the 2015 World Cup, Asia Cup and other ICC tournaments when the side has done tremendously well.
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