The Afghanistan cricket team faced disappointment in their three-match ODI series against India, suffering a 3-0 defeat.
Despite captain Hashmatullah Shahidi scoring his maiden ODI century in the third match held in Chennai, it was not enough to secure a victory for his team.
Following the loss in the third ODI, Shahidi commented, “I believe India bowled well in the first 10 overs. We lost too many wickets, which increased the pressure. Although Azmatullah and I had a good partnership, we failed to maintain momentum and lost wickets continuously, which hindered our scoring.”
Reflecting on his first ODI century, Shahidi stated, “I scored my first century after 95 matches. It feels great, and I will strive to achieve this for my country repeatedly.”
Shahidi acknowledged the talent within the team but recognized the challenges posed by India. “We have talented players, but India is a tough team. We will learn from this experience. We were not at our best. We have been away from ODI cricket; our last match was against Bangladesh eight months ago. Our next game is against Ireland, and we will work on addressing our weaknesses moving forward.”
In the third ODI, Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat, but they quickly lost four wickets for just 36 runs. Shahidi and Omarzai then formed a crucial partnership, adding 105 runs for the fifth wicket, helping Afghanistan reach a total of 218. Shahidi scored 102 runs off 131 balls, while Azmatullah Omarzai contributed 50 runs from 56 balls.
India, led by ‘s unbeaten 110 and Rohit Sharma’s 79, chased down the target in just 28.4 overs, winning the match by 9 wickets.
Afghanistans Shahidi Reflects on Challenges Against India After ODI Series Loss