Narendra Modi Greatful to Afghanistan for Choosing India to Play Their Maiden Test Match

It was a historic day for Afghanistan cricket when they went on to play their maiden Test match against India earlier this month. They were awarded the test status back in 2017. Afghanistan wanted India as their opponents and their dream came true at the Chinnaswamy Stadium earlier in the month. Asghar Stanikzai led the Afghanistan team to their maiden Test against Ajinkya Rahane led India.

The home team proved to be too hot to handle for Afghanistan as they annihilated them by an innings and 262 runs. It was also India’s biggest innings victory in Test victory in Test cricket. It was centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay which helped them post 474 on the board. From there on the spinners took it upon themselves to do the job for India. The visitors were bowled out twice in the day.

However, they have been a team who has made giant strides in international cricket especially in the shorter formats. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the Afghanistan team for a historic moment and putting up an impressive performance.

Also Read: Top 10 Bowling Spells by Indian Bowlers That Changed The Course of Game

“A few days ago, a historic Test match in Bangalore took place. You must have understood that I’m talking about the match between India and Afghanistan. It was the visitor’s maiden Test and it was a matter of pride for every Indian that his historic match was against India. Both teams performed extremely well in the contest,” Modi was quoted as saying in the 45th episode of Mann Ki Baat, his radio show.

The story of Rashid Khan has been an inspiration for the war-stricken country. They hardly get opportunities to play in their country but have managed to excel in the game in very short time. Rashid bowled brilliantly in the IPL and was the leading wicket-taker for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Modi called him an asset to any side.

Rashid Khan was phenomenal in the IPL says Narendra Modi

“One of Afghanistan’s bowlers, Rashid Khan was phenomenal in this year’s IPL and I remember that Ashraf Ghani, the President of the nation, dropped a tweet tagging me and wrote that the country is proud of their hero. He was also grateful to the Indian fans who provided their players a chance to showcase their skills. Rashid represents the best of Afghanistan and is an asset of the cricketing world,” he added.

Also Read: Adam Gilchrist Calls Sarah Taylor the Best Wicket-keeper in the World