Afghanistan's Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, a 15-year-old right-arm off-spinner, has registered for the December 23 Indian Premier League auction in Kochi. The youngest player in the IPL auction, Ghazanfar, tried to sign up for the Big Bash League auction earlier this year but was unsuccessful.
The Indian spin king Ravichandran Ashwin serves as an inspiration to Ghazanfar, who has set a base price of Rs 20 lakh.
"Ashwin is a champion player who has won many games for India and I appreciate his variety, I have always thought of him as my inspiration," Ghazanfar told to Sportstar on Tuesday from Kabul.
Ghazanfar, who is 6 feet 2 inches tall, is a native of the Paktia province's Zurmat area. Given his height, he began as a fast bowler but gradually switched to a spinner under the watchful tutelage of the former Afghanistan captain Dawlat Ahmadzai.
The boy said, "I used to play tennis ball cricket in my neighbourhood, but with my coach's help, I started bowling spin. Soon, I developed an action, and there hasn't been any turning back since," he said.
"I used to play tennis ball cricket in my neighbourhood, but with my coach's help, I started bowling spin. Soon, I developed an action, and there hasn't been any turning back since," he said.
“I have played a fair bit of junior cricket, and my ultimate target is to play for Afghanistan. The IPL will help me improve my game as I would be able to learn quite a few things from the Indian and overseas players, and I am really looking forward to the experience. I hope to get picked by a franchise,” he added.
He participated in local U-16 tournaments before getting the chance to train with the Afghanistan U-19 team and making his Shpageeza League debut for Mis Ainak Knights. In his second encounter against Hindkush Stars, he took 4 for 15, giving him five wickets in three games.
Ghazanfar, who later competed in the Junior Pakistan Super League, said, "I love testing the hitters with my spin, and the experience of playing in the Shpageeza League has been incredibly helpful."
He will be glued to the screen on December 23 just like every other young individual who wants to succeed in cricket.
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