Ibrahim Zadran etched his name in the history books as he became the first Afghanistan player to score a century in the ODI World Cup. The young opener hit his maiden World Cup ton against Australia, at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday, and credited Sachin Tendulkar later for his inputs. The Master Blaster had visited the Afghanistan players’ practice session on the eve of the match, and Zadran revealed that Tendulkar gave him a lot of confidence and that the experience of meeting with Sachin helped Ibrahim as well.
“It’s the first time and we all are excited because he’s the legend of the game. For a lot of players, we watched him on TV as a successful player and he was a role model for a lot of us. So, an exciting time for the whole team. See him and maybe some words and we learn from him,” Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi had said ahead of the players’ interaction with the Master Blaster.
Zadran opened the inning against Australia and ended up scoring an unbeaten knock of 129 runs, powering the Afghanistan side to their highest-ever total in World Cup history of 291/5. Speaking after becoming the first centurion in the World Cup from his country, Ibrahim Zadran paid tribute to Sachin Tendulkar.
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“I had a good chat with Sachin Tendulkar yesterday, he shared a lot of his experiences that I can’t express. I’m very thankful to him for sharing his experiences and giving me a lot of confidence,” said Ibrahim Zadran.
The 21-year-old further said that he had a feeling he would get to score a century having missed out on an opportunity to hit a hundred against Pakistan.
Ibrahim Zadran said “I had a good chat with Sachin sir, that helped me, he played for 24 years – thankful to him, got lots of confidence from Sachin sir”. pic.twitter.com/VkICOCC5Js
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 7, 2023
“I want to score many more hundreds. I worked very hard for this tournament. Against Pakistan, I missed my ton, so I wanted to make it up in this game. I was feeling like I’d get a hundred in the next 3 matches,” Ibrahim Zadran added further.
Afghanistan were hoping to pip Australia and remain alive in the race for the semifinals, a win would help the Afghans go level on points with the Aussies, while a victory for the five-time winners would guarantee them a place in the knockouts, and they would be the third team to reach the semis after India and South Africa.
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Ibrahim Zadran’s century against Australia was a remarkable achievement, and it is a testament to his talent and hard work. He is a young player with a bright future ahead of him, and he is already one of the most important players in the Afghanistan team.
Zadran’s tribute to Sachin Tendulkar is also heartwarming. It shows how much respect he has for the Master Blaster, and it is also a reminder of the impact that Tendulkar has had on cricketers all over the world. Afghanistan’s chances of reaching the semifinals of the ODI World Cup are slim, but they will be looking to finish the tournament on a high. With players like Zadran in their ranks, they are capable of beating any team on their day.
