‘IPL contract is just around the corner for him’ – Virender Sehwag praises Najibullah Zadran for his half-century against New Zealand

Former cricketer Virender Sehwag reckoned that Afghanistan batter Najibullah Zadran is inching towards getting a contract in the cash-rich Indian Premier League. The 28-year-old left-handed batter ended the T20 World Cup as the leading run-scorer for his country, having notched 172 runs at an average of 34.40 and a strike rate of 135.43.

On Sunday, November 7, Najibullah notched his highest individual T20I score, but his efforts went in vain. The southpaw scored a 48-ball 73, laced with six fours and three sixes, on a difficult batting strip at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. However, he didn’t get much support from the others as the Afghans posted only 124 for eight.

Later, the Black Caps chased the 125-run target down with 11 balls to spare after Kane Williamson and Devon Conway’s unbeaten 68-run stand for the third wicket. Sehwag said that Zadran has the potential to play spin and pace bowling with equal efficiency.

Virender Sehwag shares his opinion

“I have played alongside him in T10 League so I was expecting such a knock from him. He is brilliant against both pace and spin and I feel an IPL contract is just around the corner for him,” Sehwag was quoted as saying on Cricbuzz Live.

Sehwag was also impressed with the way Zadran countered the Kiwis’ spin duo of Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi. The tweakers conceded 40 runs in four overs with Santner going for 27 in his two.

“It looked like he (Najibullah Zadran) was batting on a completely different track compared to other Afghanistan batters. He cashed in brilliantly against the spin duo of Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner. Even in Neesham’s first over, he smashed a couple of boundaries,” he added.

Najibullah has the experience of playing in various T20 leagues around the world. Earlier this year, he also played for the Karachi Kings in the 2021 Pakistan Super League. Zadran has also plied his trade in the CPL, the Global T20 Canada, the T10 League and Afghanistan’s domestic T20 competition. In 140 T20s, he has scored 2468 runs at an average of 27.42 with 10 fifties and a top score of 97 not out.