Due to injury, Afghanistan’s spinner Rashid Khan will miss the team’s three-match Twenty20 series against India; nevertheless, captain Ibrahim Zadran said on Wednesday that the squad has a wealth of experience in reserve.
Despite having had lower back surgery in November, Rashid, a leg-spinner with 347 international wickets across formats, is still included in the traveling team that will play the first game on Thursday in Mohali.
“He is traveling with the squad even if he is not fully fit. We’re hoping he gets well soon,” Zadran said to the media.
“We won’t suffer too much without Rashid. Although his expertise is valuable to us, you should always be prepared in cricket.
A key member of the elite Afghan spin attack together with Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, and Mohammad Nabi is 25-year-old Rashid.
Afghanistan will face a strong home team in the three games, which serve as a warm-up for the T20 World Cup in June this year. Star batsman Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma are both returning to the short-format squad.
“Playing against India on their home soil is a difficult task, but we came here to play well against them and show our skills,” Zadran said.
“We have lots of good T20 players, all our boys are playing good cricket, so I am sure they will play well.”
The cricketing underdogs defeated England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands at the ODI World Cup in India last year, putting on an amazing display.
The squad will be inspired to improve by the supporters’ higher expectations, according to opening batsman Zadran, 22.
“Not only Afghanistan people are expecting lots of things, but all around the people are expecting (a) lot of things from us nowadays, because we played a wonderful World Cup,” he said.
“Play positive cricket and show our skills on the field” was the team’s stated goal, according to Zadran.