Afghanistan keeper Afsar Zazai fan of his "Idol" MS Dhoni's attitude

Zazai hoping the APL would attract good crowds.

Afsar Zazai | Getty Images

Afghanistan’s wicket-keeper batsman Afsar Zazai has revealed on Saturday (October 6) that ace Indian cricketer MS Dhoni has been his idol since childhood. The keeper also said that he is a big fan of Dhoni’s coolness and attitude both on and off the field.

Zazai, who has the honor of donning the big gloves for Afghanistan in their inaugural Test, feels grateful that got the opportunity to play Test cricket for his country against India.

Afsar further went on to admit that he hadn’t imagined Afghanistan would have an international team and play Test cricket when he fell in love with the game at the age of 5. He is currently playing for Kabul Zwanan in the inauguration edition of the Afghanistan Premier League (APL).  

Zazai told Sportstar, “It is every cricketer’s dream to play a Test, and I was delighted when mine came true at Bengaluru in June. We couldn’t do well as a team in that Test against India, but we got to learn a lot of new things which would help us in the future. I had initially played tennis ball cricket and then from the age of 10, with the hard ball, in Paktia, back home.”

He further added, “Now, we have a league of our own. It is a great achievement for the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), which has been able to create it in such a short span of time.”

On Dhoni, Zazai said, “He has been my idol since childhood. I like his coolness. His attitude on and off the field is remarkable.”

Meanwhile, the 25-year-old believes that the APL will be a great opportunity for the youngsters in Afghanistan to get noticed by international teams, as well as, hoping to attract good crowds.

He signed off by saying, “Our young players could get noticed by international teams. And, all of us could benefit from working with quality coaches, like Heath Streak and Venkatesh Prasad. Lots of Afghan people, who live in the UAE, had come to support at the recent Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. I hope those fans come for the APL matches too.”

(Input: Sportstarlive)

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 06 Oct, 2018

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