Bangalore: For a team who once used broken and shot down helicopters as dressing rooms it will indeed be a historic occasion when Afghanistan take the field against India here Thursday.
Statistically, it’s a classic David versus Goliath showdown but contextually, it’s the beginning of a historic new chapter in international cricket as World No.1 India take on a war-ravaged-but-resilient Afghanistan in their first ever Test match.
India have been Afghanistan’s close allies and the BCCI has shown magnanimity in opening their stadiums so that the national team can practice. But come Thursday, Ajinkya Rahane’s side will not spare an inch as they are expected to put up a ruthless show.
No wonder the iconic CLR James line is still so relevant, “What do they know of Cricket who only Cricket Know.”
India, sans regular skipper Virat Kohli along with two frontline bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, will look to record a comprehensive win before embarking on their long and gruelling tour of England.
For Afghanistan, it will be a battle of attrition that they have never ever faced before. Test cricket is a different beast and Rashid Khan’s real battle starts now.
That he is a brilliant four-over bowler, is a known and acknowledged fact. However, the acid Test will start when he bowls that fifth over. The intelligence will be tested during the 15th over, patience during the 23rd over and endurance during the 40th over.
With no pressure of asking rate, a Murali Vijay or a Chesteshwar Pujara, if set, will play at their own pace. The Indian batsmen in their own backyard are not known to pull back punches. Can a 17-year-old Mujeeb Zadran, who hasn’t played a single four-day game in his career, trouble a KL Rahul with whom he shared the IPL dressing room at the Kings XI Punjab?
However, the Indians having watched and played against Rashid and Zadran will be wary of what they can do. That’s the reason the Indian team management might just prefer a hard bouncy track knowing full well that a rank turner could boomerang on them.
The problem with Afghanistan will not be their spinners but their batsmen. How well Mohammed Shahzad and Mohammed Nabi negotiate Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja will have a direct impact on the kind of fight Afghanistan will be able to put on.
And even before that they will have to counter the disconcerting bounce generated by Ishant Sharma and the pace worked up by Umesh Yadav.
But whatever be the outcome of the game, ‘a beautiful journey’ has already begun for Afghanistan.