New Delhi: Afghanistan’s entry into the T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final has been one of the best underdog stories in the sporting world this year. The war-torn nation has risen from the rubble and achieved the impossible against all odds by reaching the semifinal of a World Cup for the first time.
The Afghans registered a landmark victory against Australians in their Super Eight match before defeating Asian rivals Bangladesh in a low-scoring thriller to progress to the semis at the expense of the current ODI World Cup champions Australia.
They entered the semi-final as the second-placed team from Group 1 behind India, who advanced to the last four as the table toppers.
While one should salute the spirited Afghanis for their lion-hearted effort, the credit should also go to India for their constant support of Afghanistan cricket. From providing infrastructure and training grounds to giving invaluable exposure in the Indian Premier League (IPL), India have played a huge role in the rise of Afghanistan cricket.
The Afghans also recognise India’s generosity. After the historic win against Bangladesh, the Taliban thanked India for their constant support. Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan, meanwhile, shared a cute Instagram post inspired by two iconic Bollywood songs.
Rashid shared a picture of him with Rohit and captioned it with the lyrics of a famous Hindi song Bambai Se Aaya Mera Dost from the movie Aap ki Khatir (1977) with Sholay’s famous ‘Ye Dosti Hum nahi Chodenge’ as a background song on the post.
T20 World Cup destined for an all-Asian clash in final?
Afghanistan will kick off the semi-final stage with a clash against South Africa on Thursday at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad. Similar to India, the Proteas are also unbeaten in the tournament and pose a tough challenge in front of the Afghans.
Meanwhile, India will take on England in the semi-final in Guyana in a rematch of the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final. If both India and Afghanistan secure wins in the semis, the T20 World Cup will witness an all-Asian final for the first time in a decade.
Both teams have already faced off in the ongoing tournament with India winning the Super Eight clash by 47 runs.
Following Afghanistan’s historic entry in the T20 World Cup semi-final, Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan shared a cute Instagram post inspired by two iconic Bollywood songs. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
