New Chandigarh: Afghanistan enter the one-off Test as underdogs but captain Hashmatullah Shahidi believes his team are better equipped than the one that played the country’s first Test, also against India in 2018.
Ahead of the match beginning at the PCA Stadium here on Saturday, Shahidi said lack of opportunities has been the biggest obstacle in Afghanistan’s Test journey. Since earning Test status, Afghanistan have played only 11 matches.
“We played in India in 2018, but we have more experience now,” Shahidi said on Thursday. “At the same time, we need to play a lot more Test cricket and have more opportunities in the future to build our Test team.”
A decent domestic structure nurtures players, he said, but limited international exposure has slowed the team’s growth in red-ball cricket.
“We play only one or two Test games every year, so the boys don’t have that much experience of playing red-ball cricket,” he said. “But we have good first-class cricket and every player gets six or seven matches each year.”
While Afghanistan’s rise has largely been driven by white-ball success and the growing prominence of its players in franchise leagues around the world, Shahidi said Test cricket remained the ultimate challenge.
“Everyone knows that the best format of this game is Test cricket,” he said. “If anyone is better at red-ball cricket, he will definitely be good at white-ball cricket as well.”
Afghanistan arrived in Chandigarh after a three-week training camp and a List A tournament in Jalalabad, where temperatures were similar to those expected during the Test.
“The weather was around 34-35 degrees there, so most of us are used to these conditions,” said Shahidi.
The captain also praised new head coach Richard Pybus. “He is a very positive person and always looks after the players,” said Shahidi. “He teaches us how to stay positive, stay motivated and make our practice sessions productive.”
Shahidi dismissed suggestions that Afghanistan lack the temperament necessary for the format. He cited the performances of senior batters, including himself and Rahmat Shah, both of whom have scored double centuries in Tests.
“I have two double hundreds and Rahmat Shah has also scored a double hundred,” he said. “It shows that we have patience and we know how to score runs in this format.”
India will not have Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, all of whom have retired. Yet Shahidi remains under no illusions about the challenge they face.
“We know India is a big cricketing nation and they have a lot of talented players,” he said. “But I am the opposition captain and I want my team to do well.”
For Shahidi, the match represents an opportunity to assess Afghanistan’s progress against one of the strongest teams in world cricket.
“This will be a good opportunity for us to test ourselves against a tough opposition,” he said. “We always accept every challenge and try to move one step forward.”
With all 15 squad members fit and preparations complete, Afghanistan arrived in New Chandigarh realistic about the size of the task but eager to make an impression.
“We are ready,” Shahidi said. “Hopefully, we will show our skills and play positive cricket.”