Mohammed Nabi hopes Afghanistan will play their first Test against India

Mohammed Nabi hopes Afghanistan will play their first Test against India

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Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammed Nabi wants Afghanistan's inaugural Test match to be played against India - the country that has helped them grow as a cricketing nation. The 32-year-old also went on to add that achieving Test status was a dream that the team had been chasing for years.

Ireland and Afghanistan became cricket’s 11th and 12th Test nations, on Thursday, following a unanimous vote by the full members of the International Cricket Council during the Annual General Meeting in London. That triggered huge celebrations back in the war-torn country and Mohammed Nabi, one of the senior players in the team, was pretty emotional while sharing his feelings. 

Although it took several exceptional performances from the Asian nation to prove their credentials as a Test-playing nation, Nabi didn’t forget to thank the contribution of the BCCI, who gave them a stadium in Greater Noida with all the facilities to practice and host their matches.

Speaking to Sportstar, Nabi said, “I hope we play our first Test against India. That’s one dream all of us have. It would have been good if we could take on India in Greater Noida." That, however, is not quite possible yet. Even though Greater Noida is Afghanistan’s home base, they would not be able to play a Test there as the ICC hasn’t yet given the stadium clearance to host Test matches. In such a scenario, the Afghans will have to play their ‘home’ Tests in Dubai.

“We have got huge support from the people of India. The BCCI too has helped us immensely. Without its support, it would not have been possible to reach this stage."

Mohammed Nabi

“We have got huge support from the people of India. The BCCI too has helped us immensely. Without its support, it would not have been possible to reach this stage,” Nabi added. 

Afghanistan do not have a cricket stadium of their own as of now and don’t even have a first class cricket tournament. Yet, they have scaled heights through their determination and Nabi feels the Test status is the ultimate dream they were rooting for all the while. 

“This is a dream we have been chasing for years now. And today, we are a Test playing nation.” 

The 32-year-old also admitted that this recognition would inspire the people of Afghanistan, drawing reference to Thursday’s suicide car bomb attack in Kabul that killed 30 people.

“This means a lot for the country. With so much happening around, this would at least give them something to look forward to. Life is strange at times. On a day when the entire country is mourning, we got such a happy news in the evening. Hope this will help us regroup again,” Nabi added.

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