Former Afghanistan captain Mohammad Asghar Afghan has played a vital role in the rise of cricket in the nation. More than a couple of years after retiring from international cricket, Asghar still cherishes the tied Asia Cup 2018 match against India where Mahendra Singh Dhoni led the side in Dubai. In the nail-biting encounter, Mohammad Shahzad was named 'Player of the match' for his 124-run knock. Asghar recalled the conversation he had with Dhoni after the match where he talked about wicketkeeper-batter Shahzad's chances of playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.
Asghar said that it all came down to Shahzad’s fitness. Shahzad has been clear that he does not want to change his eating habits and the former captain revealed that he went on to put on more weight during the series.
“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,” Asghar told Times of India.
“But when Shahzad returned to Afghanistan after the series, he gained 5 more kgs,” he added.
Asghar also lauded the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for their role in the development of Afghanistan cricket.
“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,” the 35-year-old said.
Shahzad who recently featured in Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 is Afghanistan's leading run-scorer in T20Is. He has scored 2,048 runs from 73 games at an average of 29.25 including one century and 12 fifties.
On the other hand, Asghar is currently playing for Suresh Raina-led Urbanisers Hyderabad in Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2023. He contributed with a cameo of 8-ball 23 against Manipal Tigers in the Qualifier 1 clash on December 5. He will be seen in action again against Harbhajan Singh-led Tigers in the final of LLC 2023 in Surat on December 9.
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