Unlike the other cricketing countries, India’s relations with Afghanistan in terms of cricket are exceptional. Afghanistan, along with Ireland, has been recently awarded the Test status and they chose India to be their first opponents. It is the existing diplomatic relationship between both the countries that are making this possible. From a considerably long time, Afghanistan Cricket Board has been seeing BCCI as a support system in every manner.

As Afghanistan is getting ready to play their maiden Test match in a few days, Mohammad Shahzad revealed whom he follows as a wicket-keeper batsman. Shahzad, who can be easily spotted in on the field for his size has been a match-winner for his side and is the leading run-getter for Afghanistan in T20s and second in ODIs. As an opening batsman, his style of play is aggressive and he makes ballistic strokeplay. Recently he won appreciation from Indian cricket fans for him hitting Dhoni’s trademark ‘helicopter shot’.

“I try to hit it like Dhoni,” Shahzad told media on his strokeplay and his rapport with the Indian cricketers. “It is always nice to catch up with the Indian cricketers. They are very warm. I have always looked up to Dhoni and now I have the pleasure of knowing him,” he said.

“I have played against India three-four times and after the match gets over, I have dropped in at Dhoni’s room and chatted for hours. He usually asks me ‘what’s happening in Afghanistan’ and at my home. We don’t tend to talk a lot about wicket-keeping and batting, it is just regular stuff about life. His room is always open for a chat but yes, it is tough to reach him on his mobile number,” he said concluding.

“Even Suresh and Shikhar bhai are very warm people,” says Shahzad, who like most of his teammates, is a Bollywood fan, his favorite actors being Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan.