Sports News | Our Cricket is Fearless, That is Why We Have Higher Percentage of Wins of Late: Gulbadin Naib
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. The turmoil and hardships back home have taught the Afghanistan players to play "totally fearless" cricket, feels Gulbadin Naib, and it is reflected in the manner in which they are punching above their weight in the ongoing World Cup.
Mumbai, Nov 5 (PTI) The turmoil and hardships back home have taught the Afghanistan players to play "totally fearless" cricket, feels Gulbadin Naib, and it is reflected in the manner in which they are punching above their weight in the ongoing World Cup.
Afghanistan have eight points from seven matches with four wins and three losses -- similar to New Zealand and Pakistan who have played eight games each so far. Eyeing a semifinals berth, the Afghans are behind on the Net Run Rate (-0.330) but they have one extra game in hand.
"From where we belong (or come from), it has been our nature - given you know the history - that we play with an open heart - because we know that we have nothing to lose," Naib said.
"The better we will do (in terms of performances) and the more we hold on to it, the aggression comes in naturally, the energy flows in and we also enjoy (that flow).
"The way we are playing our cricket we are enjoying it and we are not afraid. We are not bothered about what will happen or what will not, we do not have that habit.
"You look at our team, be it the seniors or young players like (Rahmanullah) Gurbaz - the way he plays - it is totally fearless. This is why we have a higher percentage of wins of late," he added.
Afghanistan have benefitted immensely with the presence of former India all-rounder Ajay Jadeja during their World Cup campaign. Placed sixth on the points table, they take on Australia in their next game here on Tuesday.
Naib, who is among the reserve players having captained Afghanistan to a silver medal in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, said Jadeja's inputs have been "unbelievable" when it comes to guiding the Afghan players.
"The results also have a lot to do with the role he has played in the backroom for us. He guides the players and he shares his experience like any big player. Ajay bhai has played for India, he knows and can also anticipate what can happen at any stage in the game," Naib told PTI exclusively on the sidelines of Afghanistan's training session here on Sunday.
"While we have the entire game on our mind, he breaks it down to 10-minute plays (watching it) closely.
"He knows what will happen here (at the Wankhede Stadium) given the ocean (Arabian Sea) is close by (to the stadium), what will happen (in terms of conditions) during the day or the night or whether the ball will swing or not, break or not, we get a lot of ideas," Naib said.
"Ajay sir, if I am not speaking much, the way he has been guiding our players has been unbelievable and we are enjoying his company," he added.
Naib said to have watched a player like Jadeja playing alongside the legends of the game like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly on TV and have him in the dressing room is a benefit for the Afghanistan players.
"Whenever we sit down, he only speaks about cricket. He invariably gets cricket into any discussion that we would be having.
"His presence is a big thing for us, us players were watching him on TV till recently playing with legends like Sachin Tendulkar and (Sourav) Ganguly and today he is associated with us and that has made a huge impact on our team and our cricket," he said.
Naib also heaped praise on Afghanistan's head coach, former England player Jonathan Trott for fostering greater self-confidence among players.
"(Jonathan) Trott has brought in more confidence into the side and the players. If you get over-aggressive in your approach you may not get much results," he said.
"He has more confidence in us. He does not speak a lot, but on the ground, during training sessions, he does a lot and during team meetings he tells us that 'you guys belong to this level' and we get a lot of positive energy from knowing what the Englishman is saying.
"He forces us to think, 'when he has so much confidence in us why can we not have the same?'."
Naib said being confident has allowed aggression to trickle into the Afghanistan team.
"We had a good Asia Cup, we beat Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in their home conditions. These kinds of things take you towards... When you are confident, the aggression automatically kicks in. We are fully confident in ourselves given where we stand, which is why we have been able to deliver as well," he said.
On Sunday, Afghanistan went full steam ahead with their training here with star player Rashid Khan having an extended batting stint while Gurbaz also having a long session.
Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen Ul Haq bowled in tandem during the nets and also indulged in target bowling after the team engaged in a grilling warm-up drill.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)