5 Afghanistan players India can't afford to take lightly

14th June will be a historic day for Afghanistan as they will become the 12th nation to play Test cricket. In the last few years, Afghanistan have progressed by leaps and bounds in international cricket and the Afghan team have defeated big teams on numerous occasions.

Due to the rise of players like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mohammad Shahzad, Afghanistan have given the best of the teams a run for their money and have become a force to reckon with in International cricket. Afghanistan's next big challenge will be to continue their golden run in Test cricket too.

Although the T20 format is not a parameter to judge whether a team will excel in the longest format of cricket, the way Afghanistan have been performing, fans and cricket pundits are already predicting a strong performance from the team in Test cricket.

On the other hand, the Indian team are taking this as an opportunity to prepare themselves for the difficult tour of England. However, knowing Afghanistan's prowess and fantastic current form, India will not take them lightly. The Afghanistan team have a few world class players who can pose a major threat to India and can create a huge impact on the final result of the match. We will look at 5 such players who India can't afford to take lightly.

#5 Asghar Stanikzai

Stanikzai has been an inspirational leader for Afghanistan

Asghar Stanikzai is the captain of the Afghanistan cricket team in all formats. He has successfully led the side over the years and will look to continue that in Test cricket too. The right-hand batsman, who normally bats in the middle order, will be the mainstay of Afghanistan's batting.

Stanikzai will look to use his experience to good effect and provide stability to the middle-order. He has an impressive average of 44.40 in first-class cricket and the Indian team cannot overlook his prowess with the bat.

#4 Mohammad Shahzad

Shahzad is known for his aggressive style of batting

Mohammad Shahzad, the flamboyant wicket-keeper batsman, has played some destructive innings in T20 and ODI cricket. Shahzad has the ability to take the match away from the opposition in a couple of sessions.

He has an outstanding average of 54.55 and a healthy strike-rate of 73.58 in first-class cricket. The opening batsman has a high score of 214 which shows his ability to play long innings. Indian bowlers will look to get him early before he sets himself for a big score.

#3 Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Test cricket will be a big test for Mujeeb

Mujeeb Ur Rahman is one of the most promising talents in the world. The 17-year-old has earned a name for himself in international cricket with some eye-catching bowling performances. Mujeeb has taken 35 wickets in the 15 ODIs that he has played. He also impressed everyone with his control and consistency in the recently concluded IPL.

Mujeeb along with Rashid Khan can destroy any batting line-up in the world. It will be interesting to see how the Indian batsmen tackle the mystery spinner.

#2 Mohammad Nabi

Nabi has been a huge part of Afghanistan cricket

Mohammad Nabi has been around with the Afghanistan team for a long time now and has seen Afghanistan cricket grow over the years. He has been one of the most consistent performers for the team for quite a few years now.

The former ODI captain is known for his calm demeanour and has bailed out the Afghanistan team from difficult situations many a time. He has played all around the world in various T20 leagues and will try to use that experience in Test cricket. The all-rounder's performance will have a huge bearing on the final outcome of the match.

#1 Rashid Khan

Rashid celebrating a wicket with his teammates

Undoubtedly the biggest threat for Team India will be Rashid Khan. The young spin sensation has taken the world by storm with some unbelievable bowling performances. Batsmen all over the world have struggled to read his bowling.

Rashid has picked up 100 wickets in just 44 ODIs. He has been in a rich vein of form finishing as the second highest wicket-taker of the IPL and becoming the man-of-the-series in the T20 series against Bangladesh.

Rashid's first class record will worry the Indian team. He has taken 35 wickets in just 4 matches in first class cricket, which shows that he is equally potent in the longer format. Indian team management will surely be making plans on how to tackle Rashid Khan, as negotiating him successfully will be half the battle won.