As the Afghan cricket team reaches the T20 World Cup semi-finals and reaches a new milestone, the Taliban has thanked India for the capacity building that has been provided by Delhi for many years. Afghanistan qualified for the semis by beating Bangladesh by eight runs and will now play South Africa on Thursday (June 27).
Taliban’s Head of the Political Office, Suhail Shaheen told WION, “We are thankful for India’s continuous help in capacity building of the Afghan Cricket Team. We really appreciate that.”
Since the last several years, India has provided capacity building to Afghan cricket by providing training to the players in Indian stadiums and sponsorship by Indian companies, among other things. Delhi’s support was key to building the Kandahar cricket stadium with a grant of $1 million.
Not only physical infrastructure, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) provided the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex in Greater Noida as a temporary “home-ground” for the Afghan team. Another home ground was provided in Dehradun.
India also hosted Afghanistan’s first-ever Test match in 2018, which was a significant milestone for the Afghan cricket team. In fact, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has also been instrumental in the growth of Afghan cricket. Players like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman today have become household names in Afghanistan and India, and the victories by them are celebrated by people of both countries.
