Afghanistan set for a short tour of India following the WTC final - Reports
Afghanistan will reportedly visit India for a short tour in June following the culmination of the World Test Championship (WTC). The exact itinerary of the tour is yet to be decided and a formal announcement is expected from the cricketing boards soon.
Afghanistan have not been able to tour major countries ever since the Taliban's takeover of the country. With the nation no longer sporting a women's cricket team, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had a tough decision to make regarding Afghanistan's full membership.
However, the country has remained on board since the decision to ban the women's team came from the Taliban and not necessarily from the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB).
India has always shared a cordial relationship with Afghanistan with respect to cricket. Before switching to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Afghans used to play their home matches in India in cities like Dehradun and Greater Noida.
Afghanistan were scheduled to tour Australia as well for a Test match in 2020. However, the contest was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then called off by Cricket Australia (CA) due to the Taliban's involvement in Afghanistan leading to the disbandment of the women's cricket team.
Australia also pulled out of a bilateral series against Afghanistan in January 2023, leading to major stars like Rashid Khan threatening to pull out of the Big Bash League (BBL) and considering his future with the franchise as well.
A source in the BCCI told the Times of India:
“Yes, the Afghanistan cricket team will undertake a short tour to India in June, after the World Test Championship final (at The Oval in London from June 7-11),”
The Men in Blue have an assignment in the Caribbean in the form of an all-format tour in July. The tour will comprise two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is.
What happened the last time Afghanistan toured India?
The Afghanistan team have only toured India once to play a bilateral affair with the Men in Blue. The visiting team played a one-off Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in June 2018, their first-ever red-ball contest.
The contest ended within three days as the Men in Blue emerged as comfortable winners by an innings and 262 runs. Afghanistan have since gone on to play five more Test matches, winning three of them.