IND vs AFG 2018: Afghanistan Fans Miss Celebrating Eid with Family to Witness Historic Test
Published - 15 Jun 2018, 02:19 PM | Updated - 22 Aug 2024, 11:52 PM
A handful of Afghanistan fans, mostly students, were present at the stadium to witness their team embark on a new journey in the Test arena against India in Bangalore on Thursday.
Meanwhile, they travelled all the way from Hyderabad to ensure their team doesn’t feel left out. Although it was far from a dream debut, the fans were ecstatic to watch their national team play.
Hazrat Umar Shenwari said he is proud of watching his national team live. A cricket buff himself he was here with five friends who bought match tickets and planned the journey well in advance.
In fact, they had all gone back to Afghanistan to celebrate Eid but rushed back early for the match.
“We came early because we didn’t wish to miss this match. So we are missing celebrating Eid with our families,” he said.
Afghanistan has made rapid strides in international cricket, and the popularity is also growing high.
“If we see the field of cricket, then the most popular player is Virat Kohli; but if we see the field of football, the most popular players are Messi and Ronaldo. But because cricket is more popular than football, clearly Kohli is more popular than Messi or Ronaldo. We love our cricketers as well. I’m proud of watching my team today,” he added.
An avid sports lover, Shenwari, who is from Nangarhar province says sports is the best way to bring peace to the country.
“There is a great deal of love for cricket in our country. When we didn’t have our team, we supported other teams and were happy or upset when they won or lost. Cricket is the only sport which is supported by both our government and the people who are against the government,” he mentioned.
As far as popularity of a cricketer, he said it’s a tossup between Virat Kohli and Rashid Khan.
“A player of one’s own country is popular. But overall in world cricket, we are fans of Kohli, and I also love Kohli,” he concluded.
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