Former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan recounted a humorous MS Dhoni story from the 2018 Asia Cup clash with India. Afghan recounted seeing the Indian icon after the match and telling him that Mohammad Shahzad was a big follower of his. Dhoni joked that if Shahzad shed 20 kg, he would select him as a batter in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Shahzad was named Player of the Match in the 2018 Asia Cup match against India in Dubai. As Afghanistan batted first, he smashed 124 off 116 balls, smacking 11 fours and a six. The Men in Blue were all out for 252 in 49.5 overs in the chase.
Afghan recounted the amusing chat he had with Dhoni after the exciting clash in an interview with TimesofIndia.com.
“After the tied match, I had a long chat with MS Dhoni. He is a superb captain and a god’s gift to Indian cricket. He is a nice human being. We spoke about Mohammad Shahzad a lot. I told Dhoni bhai that Shahzad is your big fan. Dhoni said Shahzad has got a big tummy and if he loses 20 kg, I will pick him in the IPL. But when Shahzad returned to Afghanistan after the series, he gained 5 more kgs (laughs).”
Asghar Afghan
Afghan batted right-handed and scored 440, 2424, and 1382 runs in six Tests, 114 ODIs, and 75 T20Is.
“The tied match of the 2018 Asia Cup was the best moment for me” – Asghar Afghan
On the subject of the tied match with India, the former Afghanistan skipper described it as his finest moment. India needed seven runs off the last over to win, and it all came down to one off two balls. Rashid Khan’s last ball saw Ravindra Jadeja (25) caught at midwicket.
Afghan stated, revisiting the ancient game:
“The tied match of the 2018 Asia Cup was the best moment for me. That was the best match. Both Afghanistan and Indian fans were in tension.
“India needed 1 off two balls. I decided to place Najib (Najibullah Zadran) towards mid-on. I told Rashid to bowl leg break and Jadeja was out caught to Najib towards mid-wicket. Rashid was so happy, he hugged me.”
Asghar Afghan
Rashid concluded with scores of 2/41, while Mohammad Nabi and Aftab Alam both took two wickets.