Shreyas Iyer, Mohammad Nabi Highlight Strong India vs Afghanistan Cricketing Bond At 'Koh-E-Zafar'

Indian and Afghanistan players at the 'Koh-e-Zafar' event.© NDTV

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) hosted 'Koh-e-Zafar' (Mountain of Triumph), a special event on Wednesday, bringing together officials from the ACB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), along with Indian and Afghan cricketers. The special evening celebrated the long-standing history and friendship between the two boards while recognising the shared cricketing journey and the strong relationship that has developed between the two cricketing nations over the years.

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.

'Koh-e-Zafar', an Afghan-themed event, brought this spirit of friendship to life through a series of special moments during the evening. The programme included an opening address and an AV celebrating the shared cricketing journey, an exchange of gifts between Afghan and Indian players as a token of friendship, followed by an interactive conversation featuring players from both sides. The ACB also felicitated the BCCI leadership in recognition of the enduring cricketing relationship.

Speaking at the event, India's T20I team skipper Shreyas Iyer praised Afghanistan's fighting spirit and the strong relationship between the two teams. He said he had spoken to Ibrahim Zadran, who was disappointed by the series loss but remained eager to improve and compete. Iyer added that India enjoys playing Afghanistan, describing their encounters as competitive and appreciating their hunger to win.

"They are indomitable in their approach, and whenever they step onto the field, they always put up a fight with a smiling face. So, it's obviously a great relationship and interaction that we have with them whenever they come to India, or we meet them at any of the ICC events," he said.

"I had a brief interaction with Ibrahim as well yesterday. He was quite hungry and disappointed that they lost the series, but you could see the hunger they had to win. They want to go ahead and improve their skills as much as possible. So yeah, it's always a nice gesture when they come here and perform to the best of their abilities and ensure that they win; they want to win the series. So, I'm glad that we get this opportunity to play with them now and then, and it's a competitive series overall," he added.

Shreyas Iyer praised the growing relationship between India and Afghanistan, highlighting the support Indian and Afghan fans have shown both teams over the years. He also lauded Afghanistan's skill and talent, saying consistent wins would help build their confidence and enable them to rise further in international cricket.

"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. My one message is that I don't think we need to give them a message because all of them are so skilful and talented in their own way. 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.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi said playing in India, including in the IPL, has provided him and his teammates with valuable experience. He added that Afghanistan have fond memories of playing in India and are always happy to compete there.

"It's helped a lot since 2017. We played in the IPL and started there. Before 2016, we played the World Cup there, and we won one game against the West Indies. The West Indies went on to win the World Cup. It's always a pleasure to play there, and we get a lot of experience from playing in the IPL. We're always really happy to play in India," he said.

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. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in June 2018. 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.

Ibrahim Zadran said Afghanistan have received strong support from fans in Delhi and across India over the years. 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.

"If you look at the past, we have got lots of support from the people of Delhi when we had games here, and now we are playing against India. We all know that, but we are still getting that support from them. Whenever I come to India, whenever I come to Delhi, we get lots of love and support from the people, from the fans of Delhi, and from the people of India. We always appreciate that; we always enjoy that. It means a lot to us," he said.

Several Afghan cricketers have also been part of the Indian Premier League (IPL), with the likes of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, and Azmatullah Omarzai enthralling fans with their electric performances that have made them household names in India, demonstrating the widespread respect and affection they command.

Ishan Kishan praised Afghanistan's players for their competitive spirit and said India's familiarity with them through the IPL makes the contests enjoyable. He highlighted his experience playing alongside Mohammad Nabi at Mumbai Indians, noting that Nabi helped him during batting sessions, and said the hunger Afghanistan show on the field makes every encounter a valuable learning experience.

"It's always fun playing against them because we have also played in the IPL together, and we all know what good human beings they are. 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. 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.

The Afghanistan Premier League (APL) trophy was also on display during the evening, adding to the celebration of Afghanistan's cricketing journey. The growth of Afghan cricket in recent years is reflected in the launch of the APL, highlighting the country's growing cricketing talent and the continued development of the sport. The league is slated to begin on December 27, 2026, with the upcoming season set to feature five teams.

The event also saw the launch of the Suzuki Cup India-Japan Trophy.

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.

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