Former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan will return to the cricket field as a member of the India Capitals team in Legends League Cricket. The right-handed batsman is excited to play for the team led by Gautam Gambhir.
Ahead of the event, Asghar discussed Afghanistan’s success in the Asia Cup, the struggles of domestic cricket, the greatness of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and more with Hindustan Times.
Afghanistan Played Well but Should Have Won Asia Cup – Asghar Afghan
“Afghanistan played well in the Asia Cup but I believe we should have won the tournament. We were playing in the UAE. We knew the conditions really well. And T20 is our strongest format. We have a lot of players who play in different leagues across the globe. We have a lot of individual experience and talent, that’s why we should have won the tournament. I think Afghanistan were one of the favourites.”
Get Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Out, They’ll Score 60-70 Runs Less – Asghar Afghan
“When a cricketer doesn’t perform, there will be talks. That’s part of every cricketer’s life. But whenever we played against India, our plan used to be around Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. We used to say ‘get them out, half of Indian team is finished’. The whole world plans against these two big players like this only. They can win matches single-handedly.”
“Our plan was always to attack them in the beginning because if we can’t get them out in the beginning then it is very difficult to trouble them. Especially Virat Kohli. He is a very busy player. When he is set, it is very difficult to dislodge him. We used to believe that if we get both of them out early then about 100-120 runs would be less from India’s total in an ODI and about 60-70 runs in a T20I.”
Asghar spoke about why India failed in the Asia Cup despite the performance of Rohit and Kohli and on India’s chances in the World Cup.
“Yes, on paper, they were the best team to win the Asia Cup. The kind of balance they had was great. But perhaps they took things a little light, but the main reason for their losses in the Super 4 stage was the injury to Ravindra Jadeja. It really affected the balance of their side.”
“India should support their players and the team. It’s not like they are a bad team just because they didn’t do well (in Asia Cup). These are part and parcel of the game. The World Cup is coming, and India have a very good chance.”
