India’s contribution to developing Afghan cricket from 2002 to the BCCI now providing coaching
Over the previous 20 years, the Indian government has significantly aided Afghanistan cricket.
The triumph of Afghanistan’s cricket team over Australia in the ongoing Twenty20 World Cup and their subsequent victory over Bangladesh are noteworthy accomplishments. The fact that Afghan cricket players had to refine their skills in order to advance to the tournament’s semi-finals makes them even more amazing.
The Afghan cricket team, which presently plays in Sharjah after formerly playing in Greater Noida in the National Capital Territory of India, is arguably the only one on the international circuit without a home venue in its own nation.
The win of the Afghan team over Australia brought back two distinct memories for me. One was twenty-two years old, while the other was way out in the distance, dating back to my early years. I connect them because they are both pertinent to the event in different ways.
Not long after I arrived in Kabul in March 2002 to assume my role as India’s ambassador, an Afghan unexpectedly showed up at the embassy and sought to see me. He identified himself as an Afghan Cricket Association member to the embassy staff. I was told about the guest and his intention to see me. I was confused; the Afghans were well-known for their passion for football, bodybuilding, wrestling, and, of course, buzkashi, their ancient and traditional sport. But cricket?
Following some small talk, I questioned the guest, “Since when have Afghans started to play cricket?” “Ambassador Sahib, since the communists took over in Kabul in 1978, Afghans have been going into exile into Pakistan,” he added, not taking offense at my question. Growing up in Pakistan, almost a million Afghan boys have lived. They attended school there and became quite fond of the game. They are gifted in large numbers. A few of these lads would like to play cricket when they return to Afghanistan. Help is needed to develop their game. I’ve come to you because I want India to assist us, then.
He made a few simple requests. He stated that at that point, roughly twenty cricket kits would suffice. Did they have a ground, I asked? He replied that although they didn’t, the youngsters could still play cricket because of the clothing. I could see that he was unwilling to ask Pakistan for assistance. This was not surprising as a large number of Afghan refugees believed they were being discriminated against, if not taken advantage of, by new hosts. This included individuals who had attended Pakistani educational institutions.
The cricket kits arrived from Delhi a few weeks later. The cricket players in Afghanistan received them. I didn’t investigate further. This was partially due to the fact that, upon questioning Afghan officials, many of whom I knew personally, I received a variety of reactions, from mild grins to puzzlement. It was over a year and a half later that I met someone else who was also a cricket fan. Although the nature of the support he was asking for was unclear, he inquired if any more might be provided. Nothing much came of this endeavor, but I remember writing to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which I believe wrote to the BCCI.
Rakesh Sood and Jayant Prasad, my immediate successors, have verified to me that the Afghans did not request their help in cricket throughout their terms in office. Assistance was requested of Gautam Mukhopadhya, who was appointed ambassador in 2010 and remained in Kabul until 2013. He sent a letter to the Delhi Cricket Association, but no action was taken. Meanwhile, the Afghans carried on playing cricket in Pakistan for many years, until about 2013. Their clubs were relegated to the minor level, but they had some Pakistani players coaching them as well. They were dismissed as unimportant.
In 2013, Amar Sinha was appointed as India’s envoy to Afghanistan. He has an intense interest for the game. During his tenure, there was a full frustration among Afghan cricket players and game management regarding Pakistan. They requested his help from India to improve Afghan cricket. It was a nice coincidence as a result. Sinha made contact with a few acquaintances of the BCCI. He recently told me that Anurag Thakur and Rajiv Shukla volunteered their assistance to the Afghans without hesitation. The BCCI gave a favorable response as well. The Afghans required training and a home base by this point so that their skill could be nurtured.
After Afghanistan advanced to the semifinals on Tuesday, Sinha sent me a message stating that, despite Afghanistan’s non-existence as an ICC member and non-regular test-playing nation, Shukla and Thakur helped get Afghan cricketers to play in the IPL and the Afghan team to participate in the Asia Cup. And lastly, a Greater Noida home field.
Then-President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, personally asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assist his nation’s cricket players in 2015 while on a visit to India. Ghani realized that if the cricket players performed well, Afghan kids may look up to them as role models. Modi gave him his word that he would back him. His directives made it possible for the BCCI to guarantee coaching and a home ground for Afghan cricket players. Ajay Jadeja was involved in this.
As a result, Amar Sinha was the driving force behind Afghan cricket’s significant advancement. Effective ambassadors foster goodwill among nations in this way. All I can hope is that the Afghans will never forget how important he was to the development of their cricket. And India’s role, of course. This is true despite the fact that, in my experience as a diplomat, appreciation is rarely expressed in interstate ties.
And now for my distant memory: I was exposed to cricket from a young age, having grown up listening to radio commentary on test matches. When the Indian cricket team went on tour in England in the summer of 1959, they lost 5-0 to the English side, and I remember how unhappy I was as a little child. In the winter of 1959–60, the Australians then went on tour in India.
The only international cricket matches at the time were five-day tests with one day off in between, and cricket was only played in India during the winter. The game was very different from its current state. Not only were there no international competitions, but there were also no one-day matches, much less T20s. This is important to note because at the international level, test cricket was the only available sport.
Australia was never defeated by India. However, a miracle occurred during the Australian tour’s second test in Kanpur. Jasu Patel put the Australian players on a turning track, with the famous Richie Benaud leading them and a strong batting team that included Norman O’Neill and Neil Harvey. Patel finished the game with 14 wickets.
India’s victory in the match sent a tidal wave of happiness over the nation. Not all males used to play cricket, and many ladies do, of course, dream these days. Nevertheless, it remained a significant issue for the nation. Furthermore, triumphing over the Australians was the stuff that dreams are made of. Even The Leader, our local newspaper in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), a staid old publication once edited by the illustrious Sir C Y Chintamani, published the triumph as its main article on page one with banner headlines. Although India lost that series 2-1 to Australia, I think their triumph in Kanpur gave them more confidence.
In the semifinals, Afghanistan will now take against South Africa. Though the game is particularly popular in the south and east (the Pushtoon districts) because its players are of the same ethnicity, there has been celebration across Afghanistan. The game is growing in popularity across the nation and among many racial and cultural groups. Afghan cricket has reached a certain age, even though they would all like to see more success for their team. Those who have endured so much suffering for fifty years will feel more confident after reading it.
The fact that Pakistan failed not advance to the Super 8 stage is, for the Afghans, the cherry on top! That is the straightforward reality, not an embellishment.
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