Kabul-born Indian cricketer present during toss of historic India vs Afghanistan Test

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has invited former Indian cricketer Salim Durani for the opening day of the historic Test between India and Afghanistan in Bengaluru. The interesting fact behind Durani’s invitation is that he is the only Indian cricketer to have been born in Kabul, Afghanistan.

He performed the spin of the coin and also handed a memento to Afghanistan skipper Stanikzai.

Durani, who played for India for 13 longs years, appeared in 29 Tests, scoring 1,202 runs at an average of 25.04, inclusive of a hundred and seven half-centuries. Although he was known for his six-hitting abilities, he was primarily a left-arm orthodox bowler. In 29 Tests, he had picked 75 wickets three five-fors, two four-fors and a 10-wicket haul as well.

The Kabul-born cricketer played First-Class cricket for as many as 25 years. He represented teams like Gujarat, Rajasthan and Saurashtra in his tenure.

Afghanistan, who earned their Test status in 2017, are all set to embark a new journey when they take field on Thursday at the Chinaswamy Stadium for their maiden Test. They could not have got a better opponent because it has been India, who has provided Afghanistan facilities like a cricket ground to train and play their home games.

Speaking in the opening ceremony, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, said, "I welcome their maiden Test match against India. I am proud of the men who championed cricket in Afghanistan at the dawn of the century and believed in themselves that one day Afghanistan will play against the best in the world."

Ajinkya Rahane, who is leading the Indian team in the absence of Virat Kohli, won the toss and opted to bat first. The players, who have been left out from the Test, are Kuldeep, Saini, Karun Nair, and Shardul.

“We're going to bat first, as it looks like a good wicket to bat on. There's some grass but in India it's important to bat first. It is important to start well after the IPL and T20 season. It is a historic moment for both nations. The boys are very confident, especially the last Test we played in Jo'burg against South Africa. Our preparation has been fantastic, and it's been about tuning our mind rather than our skills. Coming from T20, it's all about changing your attitude and mindset. The guys are really looking forward to it. It’s always an honour to captain India and we are not taking them lightly at all. All opponents are the same, and we wish to be ruthless here,” Rahane said after the toss.