Sourav Ganguly asks Afghanistan not to get disheartened after Test loss

Instead of worrying about the result of the debut Test, Afghanistan need to get better in the longer format of the game, said Ganguly.

Former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly has asked the Afghanistan cricketers to keep their spirits high, though they lost their dream debut against India on June 15.

Ganguly, in his column written for TOI, suggested the Afghan unit not to get disheartened by the defeat. Instead, they should focus on the scope of improvements which would help them on a longer run.

“No surprises were thrown up at the Chinnaswamy Stadium but at the same time not many expected that the India-Afghanistan Test match would get over in just two days. The Afghan boys shouldn’t worry about how long the Test lasted but should rewind the entire two days to realise what they need to do to get better in the longer format of the game,” Ganguly wrote in his column.

“This has happened with many other teams. When Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe were inducted into test cricket, their initial days were also sketchy. It is with time that they got better. Afghanistan, and for that matter the other new entrant, Ireland, will have to be given more time to understand and come to terms with the demands of the longest format of the game. With time they will learn,” added Ganguly.

Further, Ganguly assessed the performance of the Test debutants and said, “The Afghans were still in T20 mode and the lack of footwork was pretty apparent when they played pace bowling.”

Despite a shallow start with the bowl during the first session of the opening day, Afghanistan made a terrific comeback and clinched a total of 6 wickets by the end of the day's play. They even succeeded to all-out India next day. However, when it came to batting, they entire batting unit collapsed badly, and that too, twice in a single day.

As a result, India marked their biggest victory ever in Tests – by an innings and 262 runs on the second day of the match.