'I am always excited to watch them play' - Nikhil Chopra praises Afghanistan for their positive cricket

The Afghanistan cricket team is one of the most entertaining teams in the world, especially in the shortest format of the game, as they have some quality match-winners in their ranks who can turn things around in a blink of an eye. Former Indian cricketer Nikhil Chopra praised the subcontinent side for their positive intent in T20I cricket.

During a conversation on BatBricks7 Presents Run Ki Runneeti show on CricTracker, Nikhil Chopra lavished praises on the Afghanistan team as they play the shortest format of the game with a clear mindset and look to play positive cricket, whether with the bat or with the ball. 

"I am always excited to watch this (Afghanistan) team because if you look at the T20 format, the 120-ball in each innings format, it allows you to express yourself and the whole Afghani team looks positive. The batters look to score as many runs as possible with a clear mindset. When they come to bowl, of course, they have got quality spin, but even Farooqi is looking to take wickets," Chopra said when asked about Afghanistan's domination against Sri Lanka in the first match of the Asia Cup.

Afghanistan are adopting an important role in T20I cricket: Nikhil Chopra

Chopra further illustrated the ruthless nature of the format stating that the defensive approach by a bowler or batter won't help their cause, and they need to adopt a positive intent to succeed in this format. He cited the example of the Afghani openers, who played explosive innings in the match against Sri Lanka, playing in accordance with the conditions and not with the low target on the scoreboard.

"We all know that this is one format where be it the batter or the bowler, you need to play fearless cricket. If a bowler is defensive in his approach, the other bowlers get punished as the set batters find it easier to score boundaries and sixes. Similarly, if you bat fearlessly then you play with freedom and Afghanistan batters did the same in the first match. They are adopting an important role in T20Is," the former Indian cricketer added.