IND vs AFG: Dinesh Karthik hails Afghanistan's journey as inspiring

The political scenario in Afghanistan isn’t something to cherish. Aspiring cricketers aren’t allowed to take up the sport easily. However, the hurdles haven’t been deterrents to their fervour to play the illustrious game. A decade ago, they had no recognition as the cricketing nation and currently, they are among the most vibrant teams owing to the success they have tasted through their relentless hard work.

After a stupendous run in the ODI and T20I format, Asghar Stanikzai’s men will foray into Tests on Wednesday. They will lock horns with India at the M Chinnaswamy in Bangalore and the match is expected to be a historic one as far as the Afghans are concerned. Dinesh Karthik, the Indian wicketkeeper who made it to the Indian Test team after 8 years, heaped praises on Afghanistan.

“Today, they are household names”- Dinesh Karthik

“It’s been beautiful, isn’t it? Their journey has been an inspiration for international cricket. Everyone knows it’s a tough place and the turmoil that they are going through, but in spite of that, they are able to inspire people with their performances. They’re able to produce big players even in a tournament like the IPL (Indian Premier League),” Karthik was quoted as saying by the media.

The likes of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi have expertly plied their trade in the IPL and have grabbed several eyeballs. Rashid and Nabi were drafted back in 2017 and both soared above expectations. The national team also tormented opponents because of which they garnered a massive fan-base as their cricket progressed.

They have some key players who are producing some big performances for them. I’m happy to see a country like that doing so well in cricket. Today, they are household names in the few years they’ve played. It’s only going to get better. I genuinely hope they have the opportunity to play a lot of Test cricket,” the wicket-keeper batsman added.

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