All Indian players are good and everyone is Virat Kohli, says Asghar Stanikzai

SportsCafe Desk
no photo

Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai feels that Virat Kohli’s absence in the one-off Test against India would not make any difference and all the Indian players are on the same level as the Indian skipper. He has pointed out that the conditions would be ideal for them as it favors spinners.

Afghanistan are all set to make history on June 14 when they face India in the one-off Test match. With this, Afghanistan will become the 12th Test playing nation which will be a defining moment for the team, who has toiled hard to enter the elites of the cricket. However, India skipper Virat Kohli, who has opted to play county cricket for the preparation of the England tour, would not be playing the match. 

While many cricketers criticised the move by the Indian skipper, Stanikzai insisted that they have the match against India and not Virat Kohli and pointed out that India has good players who are on the same level as Kohli. 

"All Indian players are good and everyone is (a similar standard to) Virat Kohli. I believe we are playing with Team India and not with Virat Kohli," said Asghar Stanikzai as quoted by NDTV sports.

Stanikzai stated that the conditions in India favor spinners and they are lucky to have good spinners in their team. He believed that his batsmen have been in good form and his team’s combination has been ideal in the past few years.   

"Indian conditions are good for spin and we are lucky to have good spinners. Our batsmen are in good form. In the last three or four years our team combination is good. We will try and play good and positive cricket. Winning and losing does not matter."

For Afghanistan, the country that is regularly shaken by terrorist attacks, it would be a moment of happiness and not just for their cricket history. Stanikzai stated that the team is motivated to provide their country some happiness by winning the historic Test. 

"It is very difficult. We get very sad when we hear about attacks in our country. But we don't lose our morale, we will try even more to win because the whole nation will be waiting for us to win, the whole nation will be very happy when we win."

"Our wins give energy to the Afghan nation. We will try to change their sorrow to happiness," Stanikzai added.  

Afghanistan secured their prestigious Test status last year along with Ireland, who are playing their debut five-day match against Pakistan in Dublin.

Get updates! Follow us on

laught0
astonishment0
sadness0
heart0
like0
dislike0

Comments

Sign up or log in to your account to leave comments and reactions

0 Comments