Rashid Khan leads Afghan attack in historic India Test
KABUL: Teen sensation Rashid Khan will lead a heavyweight spin attack for Afghanistan in the country´s first-ever Test against India next month, the Afghan cricket board announced Tuesday.
Khan and fellow spinners Mujeeb ur Rahman, Zahir Khan and Hamza Hotak were named in a 16-strong squad for the historic one-off Test in Bangalore starting June 14.
The 19-year-old Khan was a star performer in the Indian Premier League with 21 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad, who lost in Sunday´s final to Chennai Super Kings.
Rahman, 17, also impressed in the cash-rich league with 14 scalps for Kings XI Punjab.
Asghar Stanikzai will captain the Test debutants in the five-day game which will be preceded by three Twenty20 internationals against Bangladesh.
The T20 games will be played in the northern Indian city of Dehradun on June 3, 5 and 7.
Afghanistan have had their training base in India since 2015, and were given Test status last year with Ireland, who lost their first five-day match to Pakistan earlier this month.
Afghanistan will be underdogs in the Test against India, but they will start as favourites against Bangladesh in the T20 clashes.