'I said before the match, I will bat like Sachin Tendulkar' - Ibrahim Zadran after his historic century vs Australia

Australia and Afghanistan are locking horns in Match 39 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Tuesday, November 07 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. After Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and elected to bat first, the decision was vindicated by Ibrahim Zadran who became the first-ever player from his nation to score a hundred in ODI World Cup history.

Zadran went on to play a magnificent innings of 129* off 143 balls smashing eight fours and three sixes in his innings. He single-handedly carried the Afghanistan batting line up helping his team to post a good total of 291/5 in their allotted 50 overs.

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After scripting history with his innings, Zadran expressed his delight after achieving the landmark and revealed that he had told his coaching staff that he would score a hundred soon.

“I am feeling great to score Afghanistan's maiden hundred in (World Cup). I worked really hard for this tournament, I missed a hundred against Pakistan but made it today. I was talking to my coaching staff and I told them I have a feeling I will get a hundred in next three matches. Wicket is looking good, ball is coming so well,” said Zadran in the mid-innings interview.

He further thanked legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar for sharing his experience ahead of the game.

I had a good chat with Sachin Tendulkar he gave me a lot of energy and confidence: Zadran

“If we had made good partnerships and kept wickets in hand, we would have scored 330 but we lost a few wickets and didn't get the kind of partnership (we were looking for) but Rashid played well in the end. We will try to bowl and field well. I had a good chat with Sachin Tendulkar; he shared his experience and I said before the match that I will bat like Sachin Tendulkar; he gave me a lot of energy and confidence,” he added.

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