Shikhar Dhawan, Murali Vijay hit tons, hand Afghanistan harsh Test baptism

And while the Indian team got off to a strong start before rain interrupted play on Thursday, this is one match whose significance will go beyond the score.

“I was with Ireland for a long time, but they haven’t produced the amount of youngsters in the last four-five years like Afghanistan have”, he said.

When quizzed as to how he is feeling leading the team again, Rahane said that he is honoured to have got the opportunity and that he is looking forward to the same. Abdullah Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of the Government of Afghanistan, will be in attendance and if the Test goes into the fourth day, President Ashraf Ghani will fly in.

“We have worked hard for this and will try to keep up our good performance in the Test match as well”, the 30-year-old skipper said.

Karthik further said that Afghanistan have managed to produce a lot of players from the Indian Premier League (IPL) and that he is ecstatic to see the country doing so well at the worldwide level. The service charges a $7.99 per month fee, but also offers a one-month free trial, allowing cricket fans to watch the history Test match for free simply by canceling the subscription before the one-month trial period concludes.

It has also made it mandatory for all teams touring India to play one cricket match against Afghanistan. “So we are disappointed he is not playing, but little bit happy that we are not going to bowl to him all the time”. Call it irony, Dhawan stepped out to hit straight sixes off Afghanistan’s three IPL participants, Rashid, Mohammed Nabi and Mujeeb ur Rahaman with effortless ease.

Amid bombing by the USA forces after September 11, Afghanistan got ICC’s recognition.

“When you’re leading the country, it’s an honour”, said Rahane, who captained Rajasthan Royals in the latest edition of the Indian Premier League.

Hashmatullah Shahidi fell leg-before for 11 to hand Ashwin his second wicket, before left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Rashid Khan (seven) in his first over.

To find out how to watch a live stream of the Afghanistan Test cricket debut against host India, see the streaming information at the bottom of this article.

Preparation wise, Afghanistan picked two vastly different squads for the T20Is against Bangladesh and their inaugural Test.

The hapless bowlers struggled with the “Test match length”, especially the spinners who are used to ball flat and quick.

Rashid Khan remains the Afghan side’s biggest weapon – his googlies and flippers have proved to be a menace for batsmen in T20s, but there won’t be hurried strokes or exaggerated strikes in Tests, he will have to continuously derive something off the pitch.