Afghanistan will take on New Zealand in a historic one-off Test later this month in India. The match will be played from September 9 to 13 in Greater Noida, and star India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has expressed his excitement ahead of the encounter. Afghanistan on Friday announced a 16-man squad for the one-off Test against the Kiwis. Ashwin was quick to highlight the presence of two young batters -- Riaz Hassan and Bahir Shah -- who have score truckloads of runs in Afghanistan's domestic cricket.
Taking to social media platform X, Ashwin suggested that the two could inspire a revolution as far as Test cricket in Afghanistan in concerned. The veteran cricketer likened Riaz and Bahir to former India stars Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif, especially with how the two played a key role in India's rise in Test cricket during the early 2000s.
"This one off Test will be fun to watch. We know Afghanistan produce insane talent but the one area of solidity and stability they need is from their batting department. They have Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat shah oozing class but not much else to follow, and that is why I am excited to see what RIAZ HASSAN and BAHIR SHAH have to offer," Ashwin wrote in a post.
"Both of them are promising and their first class averages are in excess of 55. The first signs of India's strong future came via @YUVSTRONG12 and @MohammadKaif in the 2000's as they came through the U-19's, that is why these 2 players could give us a sneak peek into what Afghanistan may go on to accomplish in the next decade or so," he added in the post.
Ahead of the one-off Test, Afghanistan batter Rahmat Shah said his team's "past experience" of playing in India will give them an edge over New Zealand.
"We are also accustomed with the weather and pitch conditions of India, so we certainly have an edge," Shah told Cricbuzz.
Shah, the leading run-scorer for Afghanistan in Tests and ODIs, wanted to give the Kiwis, the inaugural WTC champions, a tough time.
"We will try to give them a tough time. They have won the ICC Test Championship and we tried to have the best of preparations and we are looking forward to the challenge that is lying ahead," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)