Ibrahim Zadran on Tuesday (November 7) created history as he became the first Afghanistan batter to hit a century in the Cricket World Cup.

The right-handed opener achieved this feat against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He scored 129 off 143 balls with 8 fours and 3 sixes, helping Afghanistan post a competitive total of 291/5 on the board.

Speaking to the broadcaster during the innings break, Zadran thanked Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar for inspiring him to score a century.

Notably, Tendulkar had interacted with the Afghanistan players on the eve of their match against Australia.

"I had a good chat with Sachin Tendulkar; he shared his experience and I said before the match that I will bat like Sachin Tendulkar; he gave me a lot of energy and confidence," Zadran said.

"I am feeling great to score Afghanistan's maiden hundred in (World Cup). I worked really hard for this tournament, I missed a hundred against Pakistan but made it today," he added.

Zadran, 21, said he had a feeling that he would get the three-figure mark in this World Cup after missing it against Pakistan at Chepauk two weeks ago.

"I was talking to my coaching staff and I told them I have a feeling I will get a hundred in the next three matches," he said.

Reflecting on their batting against Australia, Zadran admitted that Afghanistan faltered in the middle overs and could have could have crossed the 300-run mark.

"The wicket is looking good, ball is coming so well. If we had made good partnerships and kept wickets in hand, we would have scored 330 but we lost a few wickets and didn't get the kind of partnership (we were looking for) but Rashid played well in the end," he remarked.

Besides Ibrahim Zadran, no Afghanistan batter managed to hit a half-century. Rashid Khan was the second highest scorer with 35 off 18 balls.

(With IANS Inputs)