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Afghanistan's crushing loss to India in the one-off Test has raised questions over their existence in the longest format of the game. The team struggled badly with both bat and ball, and after the match, former India all-rounder Madan Lal questioned whether Afghanistan is ready to play Test cricket.
But former India wicketkeeper Saba Karim has a different take on the situation. Karim backed the Afghanistan team and called for more patience as they continue their journey in Test cricket. After the embarrassment, Allah Ghazanfar sent warning to Men in Blue.
India completely dominated the one-off Test match in Mullanpur. The Indian cricket team posted a massive 564/8 to put Afghanistan under huge pressure. In reply, the touring side was bowled out for just 152 in the first innings and 112 in the second, with India winning the match by a huge innings and 300 runs. After which, Shubman Gill climbed in the ICC Test Rankings.
Madan Lal questions Afghanistan's place in Test cricket after heavy defeat
This crushing defeat led to strong comments from Madan Lal, who felt Afghanistan still has a long way to go in red-ball cricket. He questioned the logic behind giving test status based on white-ball performances and suggested that the team should first become stronger in red-ball cricket before expecting success in test cricket.
Madan Lal was quoted as saying by PTI, "Why are they (Afghanistan) allowed to play Test? I don’t understand the logic behind giving Afghanistan Test status. I also do not understand why affiliate nations are given Test status on the basis of their ODI and T20I records."
"I feel they should focus on ODIs, as they are a very good T20I side. Playing test is jumping the gun. First, they should learn how to play and last for 50 overs.”
Madan Lal says Afghanistan needs more red-ball experience and better infrastructure
He also pointed out Afghanistan's repeated low scores in Test cricket and said the format demands proper infrastructure, regular first-class cricket, and strong preparation. He admitted that the Afghan players have talent, but they are not getting enough exposure to the demands of five-day cricket.
The former Indian cricketer added, “See, they scored just 152 and 102 in this match. In their previous encounter eight years back, they folded up in 109 and 102 runs. Is this a good advertisement for Test cricket? Playing a five-day test requires a lot of infrastructure and facilities. That is absolutely zero in Afghanistan. So, what do they do? The players are not bad. It’s only that they are not used to playing five-day cricket.”
Saba Karim defends Afghanistan and urges for patience
Meanwhile, Saba Karim reminded everyone that Bangladesh also faced similar struggles for many years after entering Test cricket, but they slowly improved with time and experience.
Karim believes that Afghanistan should also be given that opportunity instead of being judged too quickly. He feels the team has already shown its quality in white-ball cricket and can grow in Test cricket as well if it gets enough support and regular matches.
Karim said, “See, Bangladesh were also not able to play standard Test cricket in the first decade and a half since their debut in 2000. But not very long back, they beat Pakistan in Pakistan. So let’s show a little more patience with a war-ravaged country like Afghanistan.”
Afghanistan hopes for strong comeback in ODIs
Afghanistan have played only a limited number of Test matches since their debut in 2018 and have featured in just two multi-Test series so far. Despite their struggles in the traditional format of the game, they have made impressive progress in ODI and T20 cricket over the years.
The focus will now shift to the upcoming three-match ODI series against India, starting on June 13 in Dharamshala, where Afghanistan will hope to make a stronger comeback.
