Afghanistan gets Sachin Tendulkar Boost ahead of ODI World Cup 2023 match against Australia

Both Australia and Afghanistan have failed to seal their places in the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup and Tuesday’s outcome will have an impact on the points table.

Sachin Tendulkar was all smiles after meeting Afghan players at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. (Image: ICC)

Mumbai: Legendary Sachin Tendulkar made a surprise visit to Afghanistan’s training camp at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai ahead of their ODI World Cup 2023 match against Australia on Monday. The match on Tuesday will be crucial for qualifying for the semi-finals as much will be decided based on the outcome of the match. While Australia is third with ten points, Afghanistan is two places behind with eight points.

Tendulkar is a global ambassador of the ODI World Cup 2023 and there was a special request from the Afghan players to meet the God of Cricket in person. Tendulkar, who is only from Mumbai, complied with Afghanistan’s request and spent a lot of time with Tendulkar as they talked about cricket.

As Tendulkar shared his experiences and gave important tips to the Afghans, the players listened to every word with utmost seriousness. The former Indian also received a small token of appreciation from the entire Afghan team.

“We are all excited (to meet Tendulkar) because he is a legend of the game. And for many of the (Afghanistan) players, we saw him on TV as a successful player. And he was a role model for many of our players,” Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said before meeting Tendulkar.

“So it will be an exciting time for our team. It will be exciting to see him and maybe he will speak some words and we will learn from him.” After the intense discussion session, Tendulkar also asked for photos with the Afghan players.

Sachin Tendulkar visits the camp in Afghanistan 👏#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/5a0dWfStSi

— ICC Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) November 6, 2023

Before the unknown, Tendulkar also met his old friend and former teammate Ajay Jadeja in the Afghanistan camera, who is working as a mentor for the Asian giant killers in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023.

Afghanistan are ranked ninth in the ODIs and are the most talked about team at the World Cup this time. Afghanistan’s Atlans shocked defending champions such as England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands as they stood a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals for the first time.

It should also be noted that before this World Cup, Afghanistan had won only one match in two editions. While the players deserve a lot of credit, a lot goes to former England batsman Jonathan Trott (current Afghanistan head coach) and Jadeja for their performances.

A cracker of a match is scheduled for Tuesday in Mumbai as Australia will find it tough against Afghanistan, especially their spin quartet of Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmed. Australians are not good players of spin.