Afghanistan cricket team will learn with time, claims Sourav Ganguly

Afghanistan cricket team will learn with time, claims Sourav Ganguly

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Sourav Ganguly has backed the Afghanistan cricket team to do well in the Test format in the near future after he advised the Test debutants to keep learning from their mistakes. Ganguly also heaped praise on Rashid Khan but added that the mercurial spinner needs to adjust to the longer format.

Not many expected the visitors Afghanistan to beat the Indian team with the likes of KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Hardik Pandya and Ishant Sharma in the starting XI. But at the same time, no one thought the debut Test match of the Afghanistan cricket team would end of the second day itself.Ā But thatā€™s okay, accordingĀ to one of Indiaā€™s most successful captains, Sourav Ganguly as he wrote in his column for TOI. Ganguly advised the new entrants to stay calm and learn from their mistakes as he was confident that Rashid Khan & Co. would do well in the longer format.

"No surprises were thrown up at the Chinnaswamy Stadium but at the same time not many expected that the India-Afghanistan Test match would get over in just two days. The Afghan boys shouldn't worry about how long the Test lasted but should rewind the entire two days to realise what they need to do to get better in the longer format of the game.

"This has happened with many other teams. When Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe were inducted into test cricket, their initial days were also sketchy. It is with time that they got better. Afghanistan, and for that matter the other new entrant, Ireland, will have to be given more time to understand and come to terms with the demands of the longest format of the game. With time they will learn," wrote Ganguly, who played 311 ODIs and 113 Tests for India.

Ganguly heaped praise on number one T20I bowler Rashid Khan but added that he needs to get used to bowling long spells in the Test format.

"Rashid Khan bowled well in patches and it must have been a good learning exercise for him bowling those long spells. He needs to give the champion Kumble a ring as he is not far away.

"Test cricket is about bowling maidens and putting pressure back on the opposition, especially when batsmen are not coming at you, as it happens in T20," wrote Ganguly.

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