IND vs AFG: Allah Ghazanfar hopes to put Rohit Sharma learnings to test in ODI clash
Afghanistan spinner AM Ghazanfar said he is looking forward to bowling to Rohit Sharma in the upcoming ODI series after spending time with the India captain during his stint with Mumbai Indians in the IPL .
The 19-year-old off-spinner, considered one of Afghanistan's promising young players, said bowling to Rohit in training sessions helped him understand what it takes to challenge top batters.
"Rohit bhai is a legend and a very good player. He opens the batting and we bowl with the new ball. Whatever we have learnt from him, Inshallah, we will try to use it to our advantage and see what happens," Ghazanfar said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Ghazanfar also revealed that Rohit offered him advice during their time together at Mumbai Indians.
"Once when I was batting, he gave me some tips. I really appreciated that and I am thankful to him," he said.
His time at Mumbai Indians during the recently concluded IPL season allowed him to share the dressing room with players such as Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma.
According to Ghazanfar, the experience helped his growth as a cricketer.
"In the IPL, you get the absolute best of both worlds -- very good players and excellent coaching. Playing matches with them and sharing the dressing room helped me learn a lot. Cricket is a game of constant learning and I want to keep learning even more in the future," he said.
The spinner said Afghanistan's preparation for the ODI series has also been thorough despite several players being involved in franchise cricket.
"The IPL was very good for us. It is very hot here and we have adjusted to the conditions. Before coming here, our team had a month-long camp in Kabul. We have already adapted to the pitches and weather and the players are feeling energetic," he said.
Ghazanfar, who came through Afghanistan's growing cricket system, said competition for places has increased in recent years.
"There are a lot more talented players in Afghanistan now. It is difficult to reach international cricket, leagues and franchise cricket directly from domestic cricket, but belief, preparation and working on your skills can make things easier," he said.
Interestingly, Ghazanfar said he did not grow up following one particular player. Instead, he drew inspiration from the Afghanistan team as a whole.
"Our role model was the Afghanistan team. We all used to watch our national team when we were growing up," he said.
Afghanistan will face a strong Indian batting unit in the ODI series, and Ghazanfar will hope to put into practice some of the lessons he picked up while sharing the Mumbai Indians dressing room with Rohit and other India players.
The 19-year-old off-spinner, considered one of Afghanistan's promising young players, said bowling to Rohit in training sessions helped him understand what it takes to challenge top batters.
"Rohit bhai is a legend and a very good player. He opens the batting and we bowl with the new ball. Whatever we have learnt from him, Inshallah, we will try to use it to our advantage and see what happens," Ghazanfar said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Ghazanfar also revealed that Rohit offered him advice during their time together at Mumbai Indians.
"Once when I was batting, he gave me some tips. I really appreciated that and I am thankful to him," he said.
His time at Mumbai Indians during the recently concluded IPL season allowed him to share the dressing room with players such as Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma.
According to Ghazanfar, the experience helped his growth as a cricketer.
"In the IPL, you get the absolute best of both worlds -- very good players and excellent coaching. Playing matches with them and sharing the dressing room helped me learn a lot. Cricket is a game of constant learning and I want to keep learning even more in the future," he said.
The spinner said Afghanistan's preparation for the ODI series has also been thorough despite several players being involved in franchise cricket.
"The IPL was very good for us. It is very hot here and we have adjusted to the conditions. Before coming here, our team had a month-long camp in Kabul. We have already adapted to the pitches and weather and the players are feeling energetic," he said.
Ghazanfar, who came through Afghanistan's growing cricket system, said competition for places has increased in recent years.
"There are a lot more talented players in Afghanistan now. It is difficult to reach international cricket, leagues and franchise cricket directly from domestic cricket, but belief, preparation and working on your skills can make things easier," he said.
Interestingly, Ghazanfar said he did not grow up following one particular player. Instead, he drew inspiration from the Afghanistan team as a whole.
"Our role model was the Afghanistan team. We all used to watch our national team when we were growing up," he said.
Afghanistan will face a strong Indian batting unit in the ODI series, and Ghazanfar will hope to put into practice some of the lessons he picked up while sharing the Mumbai Indians dressing room with Rohit and other India players.
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