5 reasons why Afghanistan could be a threat to India

The story of cricket in Afghanistan has been the one for ages. 10 years back they were playing in Jersey as a participant of the fifth division in World Cricket League. Fast forward to 2018, and they are not only producing world class cricketers left and right, they not only have cricket's variant of the Holy Grail in form of Test status but have a maiden Test lined up against the most dominant red-ball side in the world, India.

Come June 14, it will be one of the biggest days in the history of sport in the war-torn nation of Afghanistan. In a country that has been inflicted with oppressive regimes from time to time, cricket is a major force of a calming routine as well as serves for a realm where the nation is in the headlines for all the reasons to be proud of. It will be right along with Shapoor Zadran roaring down on his knees as he hit the winning runs in Afghanistan's first ever World Cup triumph at the scenic Dunedin.

On an occasion where it might be hard to not get carried away by the enormity of the event, Afghanistan will have to hold their nerves as they will walk out on the field at the Chinnaswamy, as their performance in their first ever test might turnaround their fate for the good. With an umpteen reasons to play for, here are five of those which make Afghanistan an opponent to be wary of in their first ever test series.

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The 'Underdogs' Tag

Against all odds, Afghanistan caught Windies short of the winning line.

So many times does it happen in Test cricket that Goliath is caught unawares by the shrewdness of David and succumbs to a humbling result. Remember India at Lord's in 2014, or the even more extreme instance of Australia in Pune 2017? The pre-match build-up plays a huge role in how things sometimes pan out on the field. With the extreme influx of media, the players acquire some degree of permeability to the talk that goes on out in the world. With India constantly labeled as the favorites to win this match and Afghanistan's participation reduced to sheer novelty of a historic moment, the odds are heavily stacked against them.

In the ICC World T20 in India in 2016, they played very well in compatibility with the label of underdogs that they possessed. In the group stages, they gave both South Africa and England brief periods of scare before overhauling the best side and eventual winners of the competition, Windies.

Put in a similar situation again, they have nothing to lose and everything to gain from putting on a decent show in India, and with the first couple of sessions going their way, who knows what might happen?

Unorthodox players

Shahzad's almighty bat swing more than makes up for his lack of textbook skills

Where were you when Virender Sehwag flayed everything fractionally outside off-stump to the point boundary and the five-prong pace attack of South Africa had no clue at Bloemfontein in 2001? Or when Ajantha Mendis with his troupe of carom balls and finger flicked cherries claimed 26 wickets in his debut Test series?

My point being, radical skills in cricket often catch the opposition surprised because it is not easy to counter an unconventional brand of cricket skill once it is on song, especially mid-way through an all-important test match. Afghanistan have an arsenal of these unorthodox batsmen with Mohammad Shahzad the most potent of them. He does not have a lot of faith in horizontal movements on the pitch, instead he relies on approaching the pitch of the delivery and hitting it right off the strip, this "technique" can work wonders against the spin trio of India, who were also found wanting against the idiosyncrasies of Steve Smith last year.

India's preparation is far from ideal

Not against the red cherry, please.

After two months worth of IPL grind, most of the Indian squad will find themselves rusty for the format, especially the likes of skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Ravi Ashwin and Lokesh Rahul who have been distanced from first-class cricket ever since the tour of South Africa came to a conclusion. The long break coupled with the abrupt change of formats for these players will test their acclimatization abilities. Twice has it happened, in 2011 and then in 2014, when India went to play Tests in England right after the IPL and were found wanting against the sudden change in what the game demanded from them.

Also, in the media statements lately, the players have mostly given the impression of focusing on the tour of England and even as far as the World Cup next year, while much hasn't been said about their immediate assignment. With the regular captain and wicket-keeper, the two men who channelize all the on-field communication, set to miss the match, the Indian team will not be in their best state of mind, an aspect that if exploited by Afghanistan, could cause an upset.

Mystery Spinners? There is more than that.

Chris Gayle isn't even the biggest scalp on Mujeeb's list of the bamboozled

Rashid Khan gained so much of attention following his all-round exploits in the second qualifier of the IPL that people absolutely forgot that Afghanistan have at least two more spinners of equal, if not less caliber, in Mujeeb ur Rahman and Zahir Khan. Three spinners in one team who rely on a huge array of variations as their weaponry. Given the batsman-friendly nature of the Bengaluru pitch, the three mystery spinners will be indispensable given their ability to take the surface out of the equation with their ability to keep the batsman startled and constantly guessing as to what kind of spin he'll face next.

It's not just this fabled trio of wrist spinners that India might have to contend with, if the surface looks anything close to the minefield the players were offered in the test against Australia in 2017, they have left-arm orthodox tweaker Hamzah Hotak and off-spinner Mohammad Nabi who are not afraid to throw the ball just in the right areas all day and wait for the surface to coerce the batsman into a lapse of judgement.

A Motivated Bunch

West Indies v Afghanistan - ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Final

Most of this current Afghanistan squad has seen the time rise from obscurity and ignominy to a newly realized world of recognition and success. Yet in the times of the rapid surge, they have remained humble and stuck to their roots of humility. Hardened by the prolonged strife back at home, they stand strong in the tougher times as we saw in the recently concluded ICC World Cup Qualifiers, where after three consecutive loss they regrouped to engineer a winning streak and not only qualified but won the competition.

Skipper Asghar Stanikzai and the level-headed Mohammad Nabi have seen the crests and troughs enough times to not be dizzied by the rush of getting to play test cricket, yet their ambitious instincts will make sure that they make sure the team plays like a unit giving it their all to not just do their best but to win. They will also be mentally spurred by the unflinching support their side receives back from home.