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Afghanistan National Cricket Team captain Ibrahim Zadran made it clear that they are in India not for touring purposes, but to challenge India for every inch of the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The three-match T20I series between India and Afghanistan is scheduled to start on September 13 in Delhi. Ahead of the series opener, Zadran revealed they will step onto the ground with proper planning to counter Jasprit Bumrah.
Jasprit Bumrah is set to make his return after the long injury layoff. He missed multiple matches across the formats because of a knee injury, which he sustained during an ODI match against England in July this year. The Afghanistan series marks his return to international cricket.
Afghanistan is ready to face Jasprit Bumrah
The inclusion of Jasprit Bumrah will definitely bolster the bowling strength of the Indian cricket team. He is expected to be in fine form as he did well in the nets under the floodlights. The Ibrahim Zadran-led Afghanistan cricket team is well aware of the fact that Bumrah himself is capable of turning the table.
In the pre-match press conference, Zadran said that the Afghanistan cricket team will face India with a blueprint to counter the Indian ace pacer. Instead of overcomplicating things, Zadran and his boys will follow a simple process while batting against Jasprit Bumrah.
"If you look at Jasprit Bumrah, he is one of the best, and he is my favourite fast bowler. We as a group never think things in a complicated way for ourselves. So we have a very good plan for him, and we just thought about him, how to play against him, and hopefully we are going to play better cricket against Jasprit Bumrah or the Indian Cricket Team," Zadran told reporters in a press conference on Saturday.
Afghanistan cricket team is well aware of Indian conditions
Further in the press conference, Ibrahim Zadran mentioned that the conditions in India are not new to them. They have played a lot of cricket here, including the T20 World Cup and the 50-over World Cup.
This year, it will be the second bilateral series between India and Afghanistan. The previous season, which included a one-off Test and an ODI series, was captured by the Men in Blue brigade. The T20I series will be in Delhi, but the host will be the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).
We just need to execute the plan really well: Ibrahim Zadran
Still, the skipper believes that if they can execute their plans well during the matches, then a good result is possible against a strong Indian cricket team.
"Yes, we have played enough cricket here in India; we all know the conditions, how to play, how to adjust ourselves, and we have played a series here against India, and the T20 World Cup, and the 50-over World Cup as well. We know the conditions really well, and how to play. We just need to execute the plan really well, according to the opposition, and that's it," Ibrahim Zadran said.
