Hashmaullah Shahidi urges Afghanistan to take ownership and make India grind
IND vs AFG, 2nd ODI: Hashmatullah Shahidi said Afghanistan need to take greater responsibility and learn how to sustain pressure on India when the teams meet in the second ODI on Wednesday.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said his team cannot afford to lose focus, especially against top opposition. In the ODI series opener against India on June 13, Afghanistan suffered a seven-wicket defeat in the rain-curtailed 25-over match in Dharamsala.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz provided a strong start with a sparkling century off 48 balls. However, after his dismissal, Afghanistan lost momentum and were bowled out for 194, losing their last seven wickets for just 68 runs.
While Shahidi praised Gurbaz for his innings, he stressed that senior players, including himself, Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai, need to take greater responsibility and contribute more consistently.
"When you play quality teams like India, they don't give you many chances. Even a small mistake can be costly because they take advantage of it. In the last game, the way Gurbaz played was one of the best innings I've seen. But after he got out, I lost my wicket, and then Nabi and Azmat didn't take responsibility.
"When you're ahead in the game against teams like India, you have to capitalise and not allow them back into the contest,” Shahidi said in the press conference before the second ODI on Wednesday.
‘NOT PLAYING ENOUGH ODIS AFFECTED AFGHANISTAN’
Shahidi also said that Afghanistan's lack of ODI cricket over the past couple of years has affected the team's ability to perform consistently. Since January 2025, the Afghans have played only seven ODIs, winning four, losing two, while one match ended in a no result.
"At the same time, we haven't played much ODI cricket. Over the last two years, we've played only eight or nine ODI matches, which is very little. Maybe that also affected us. But we have more series coming up, including against Ireland. The more we play, the more we learn, and we'll continue to improve with every game,” Shahidi added.
Afghanistan have endured a difficult tour of India so far. They began with a heavy defeat in the one-off Test, where India secured victory by an innings and 300 runs. After losing the opening ODI, Shahidi's men will be eager to bounce back in Lucknow and keep the series alive.
Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said his team cannot afford to lose focus, especially against top opposition. In the ODI series opener against India on June 13, Afghanistan suffered a seven-wicket defeat in the rain-curtailed 25-over match in Dharamsala.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz provided a strong start with a sparkling century off 48 balls. However, after his dismissal, Afghanistan lost momentum and were bowled out for 194, losing their last seven wickets for just 68 runs.
While Shahidi praised Gurbaz for his innings, he stressed that senior players, including himself, Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai, need to take greater responsibility and contribute more consistently.
"When you play quality teams like India, they don't give you many chances. Even a small mistake can be costly because they take advantage of it. In the last game, the way Gurbaz played was one of the best innings I've seen. But after he got out, I lost my wicket, and then Nabi and Azmat didn't take responsibility.
"When you're ahead in the game against teams like India, you have to capitalise and not allow them back into the contest,” Shahidi said in the press conference before the second ODI on Wednesday.
‘NOT PLAYING ENOUGH ODIS AFFECTED AFGHANISTAN’
Shahidi also said that Afghanistan's lack of ODI cricket over the past couple of years has affected the team's ability to perform consistently. Since January 2025, the Afghans have played only seven ODIs, winning four, losing two, while one match ended in a no result.
"At the same time, we haven't played much ODI cricket. Over the last two years, we've played only eight or nine ODI matches, which is very little. Maybe that also affected us. But we have more series coming up, including against Ireland. The more we play, the more we learn, and we'll continue to improve with every game,” Shahidi added.
Afghanistan have endured a difficult tour of India so far. They began with a heavy defeat in the one-off Test, where India secured victory by an innings and 300 runs. After losing the opening ODI, Shahidi's men will be eager to bounce back in Lucknow and keep the series alive.
