Shahid Afridi lauds Afghanistan's Asia Cup performance against India

Afghanistan can no longer be called underdogs or newcomers in the world of cricket, as they have proven time and again that they are a quality side, with a hunger to win matches, regardless of who the opposition is. Yes, they lack the experience, but the rate at which they have progressed since making an entry into international cricket has been remarkable.

On Tuesday, Afghanistan took on India in an inconsequential match during the ongoing Asia Cup. The result of the game would not have determined who progressed in the tournament and who gets knocked out – India were already through to the final of the Asia Cup while Afghanistan were only playing for pride. However, the performance from the Afghans was inspiring, and one that attracted praise from the who’s who of cricket.

Here’s what Boom Boom Afridi tweeted

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi was particularly impressed with the show Afghanistan put up against former world champions India. He had earlier tweeted, “Such a joy to watch this wonderfully gifted and talented Afghanistan team! They have made incredible progress in such a short time. A real force in white ball formats, the cricketing world must watch out.” Following Afghanistan’s display of fighting spirit against India, Afridi went on to add, “Such a great game of cricket  !! An outstanding performance by team Afghanistan  @ACBofficials against the world class indian team !! @MShahzad077 a well deserved  !!”

Such a great game of cricket 🏏 !! An outstanding performance by team Afghanistan 🇦🇫 @ACBofficials against the world class indian team !! @MShahzad077 a well deserved 💯 !! https://t.co/CEIZ1MHJuz

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) September 25, 2018

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first. India, led by MS Dhoni for the 200th time in ODI cricket, were happy to chase as well. However, little did they know that the flamboyant opening batsman Mohammad Shahzad had saved up his best for this encounter. He came out all guns blazing and raced to a scintillating 124 off just 116. India’s spinners ensured that they weren’t chasing a total close to 300: Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav shared 5 wickets between themselves.

In reply, India started off with a new opening pair of KL Rahul and Ambati Rayudu – their usual openers Shikhar Dhawan and skipper Rohit Sharma were being rested for the final. A century stand from the duo meant India were well on course for a victory. However, India went from 110 for no loss to 226 for 7, giving Afghanistan a sniff. It came down to their spinning sensation Rashid Khan who was tasked with defending 6 off the final over. Ravindra Jadeja was the last wicket to fall with a ball to go and run to get and the match ended in a tie.

India will face off against the winner of either Pakistan or Bangladesh in Friday’s final.

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