Afghan teenage all-rounder AM Ghazanfar hopes his rapid rise in international cricket over the past year will convince Mumbai Indians to retain him ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026. The 19-year-old, who now represents Afghanistan across formats, believes he has grown significantly as a cricketer since last season, when a back injury prevented him from making his IPL debut.
Ghazanfar credits much of his development to the support he received throughout his life dismissed due to injury from the Bombay Indians captain Hardik Pandya, whose support he finds invaluable. “Despite the injury, Hardik bhai kept in touch and motivated me a lot. I also had long talks with Tilak about the match. I hope Hardik bhai will be my captain again this season,” Ghazanfar told PTI. He will next feature for Afghanistan at the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha.
The young spinner endured a challenging year, moving from one franchise league to another before unexpectedly making his Test debut against Zimbabwe, which also doubled as his first-class debut. The heavy workload, as he admits, pushed his body to the limit. “I played a lot of back-to-back cricket, almost seven to eight tournaments. When the Test came, my body was not ready for the extra load. Now I have fully recovered and become much wiser,” he said.
A bowler who relies on backspin, googly and carrom ball, Ghazanfar distances himself from the traditional brand of off-spinner. “I don’t see myself as an off-spinner because I don’t look much outside the spin. T20 is a batting game now and spinners don’t get much help. Off-breaks come easily. Leg-break variants with mystery slip more and allow you to change pace. Mystery is better,” he explained.
He believes Afghanistan’s strength in producing unorthodox spinners comes from the sheer depth of domestic cricket. “Some countries produce fast bowlers, some batsmen. We have a lot of spinners in domestic cricket and that is why we are strong internationally.”
Growing up, Ghazanfar modeled himself after Sunil Narine and R Ashwin and fondly remembers meeting Ashwin during his stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders. “He shared valuable experience. IPL teaches you how to play under extreme pressure even when you are not playing,” he said.
Although he appreciates the challenge of Test cricket, Ghazanfar’s heart remains with the shortest format. “I like Tests but I want to play T20 more,” he said as he awaits Mumbai Indians’ challenge.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
November 14, 2025
