Ibrahim Zadran credits Sachin Tendulkar after hitting first World Cup century by an Afghanistan batsman

Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran smashed his 5th ODI century in just 27 ODI innings.

Afghanistan have found another rising star in their camp for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Opener Ibrahim Zadran has continued to impress everyone with his gritty knock. He has made his entry into the record books for Afghanistan. Zadran smashed his fifth ODI hundred and became the only batter to score a World Cup hundred for Afghanistan. Zadran’s innings helped Afghanistan post 291 runs on the board against Australia.

Ibrahim Zadran is now just one century away from equaling Mohammad Shahzad’s record for scoring the most centuries for Afghanistan in ODI cricket. Shahzad has six ODI centuries under his name. Zadran remained unbeaten in his innings and smashed 8 fours and 3 sixes against a pace-dominating Australian bowling line-up. Ibrahim Zadran has credited former Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar for his splendid innings against Australia.

Zadran thanks Sachin Tendulkar

The 21-year-old Afghanistan opener revealed that he had a chat with Sachin Tendulkar on Monday that helped him play a great innings with full determination at Wankhede Stadium. Zadran said, “I had a good chat with Sachin Tendulkar yesterday; he shared a lot of his experiences that I cannot express. I am very thankful to him for sharing his experiences and giving me a lot of confidence.” Sachin met with Afghan team on Monday during their practice session.

Ibrahim Zadran also revealed that he was confident of scoring a century in the ongoing World Cup in 2023. He added, “Feeling very good to become the first Afghan player to score a 100 against in World Cups. I want to score many more hundreds. I worked very hard for this tournament. Against Pakistan, I missed my ton, so I wanted to make it up in this game. I was feeling like I’d get a hundred in the next three matches."

Ibrahim Zadran is now the leading run-scorer for his team in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. He has now scored 361 runs in 8 innings with one century and one half-century. Zadran completed his century in 131 balls, and then he accelerated in the next 12 balls he faced. Zadran remained unbeaten on 129 runs in 143 balls with 8 fours and 3 sixes. Rashid Khan also played a magnificent cameo of 35 runs in 18 balls with 2 fours and 3 sixes.