On Wednesday, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) hosted ‘Koh-e-Zafar’ (Mountain of Triumph), an event aimed at strengthening the bond between the ACB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The gathering featured officials from both boards, along with Indian and Afghan cricketers, highlighting the rich history and friendship that has developed over the years. This special evening served to celebrate their shared cricketing journey and the enduring relationship between the two nations in the sport.
Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in June 2018. The ‘Koh-e-Zafar’ event comes ahead of the final T20I of the three-match series between India and Afghanistan, scheduled to be played on September 17, 2026. Because all of them are so skilful and talented in their own way, my one message is that I don’t think we need to give them a message. Because we have also played in the IPL together, and we all know what good human beings they are, “It’s always fun playing against them.
He said he had spoken to Ibrahim Zadran , who was disappointed by the series loss but remained eager to improve and compete. Ibrahim Zadran said Afghanistan have received strong support from fans in Delhi and across India over the years. Plus, like Iyer bhai said, the hunger they show when we play against them and how they look to take wickets every time. Everything is on the positive side, so we always love to play against the Afghanistan team,” he said.
Notably, India and Afghanistan are currently engaged in a three-match T20I series at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium. India have already sealed the series by winning the opening two matches, with the third and final T20I scheduled for Thursday. Speaking at the event, India’s T20I team skipper Shreyas Iyer praised Afghanistan’s fighting spirit and the strong relationship between the two teams. Iyer added that India enjoys playing Afghanistan, describing their encounters as competitive and appreciating their hunger to win. “I want to say that the relationship since the time we’ve been playing cricket against Afghanistan has blossomed over the years, and the love and support we have been getting from Afghan fans as well, especially when we travel outside for games, has been commendable. It’s just that, once they start winning matches, they’ll keep building confidence. They are playing at the highest level. We’ve seen in the past how good they are as a team. It’s just a matter of time; once they start winning consistently, they will definitely move up the ranks,” he added. India has been a ‘home’ venue for Afghan cricket over the years, with the team playing quite a few home series in India. The cricketing synergies between the two nations have grown over time, with Afghanistan playing its first-ever Test match against India at the M. The historic match marked Afghanistan’s entry into Test cricket, an occasion that was significant not only for Afghanistan’s cricketing journey but also as a reflection of the strong relationship between the two cricket boards. He expressed gratitude for the love and encouragement they continue to receive whenever they play in the country, saying it means a lot to the team. So it’s always good learning from them. Especially, I’ve played with Nabi bhai at Mumbai Indians, and he used to help me a lot during batting sessions as well, explaining how he was planning to bowl. So it’s always good to learn from them.
