T20 World Cup | Ibrahim Zadran’s love affair with Chepauk continues

Ibrahim Zadran seems to enjoy playing in Chennai.

The Afghanistan batter was the star when the team put it across Pakistan in the ODI World Cup at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here in 2023 and came up with a match-winning unbeaten 95 in the final group game against Canada in the T20 World Cup on Thursday.

“It was special,” he said of the vibe in this southern city and the crowd support.

“We won against Pakistan here. We beat them for the first time in 50 overs in the World Cup. That time, too, the crowd supported us.

“They encouraged us a lot. I was the Player-of-the-Match that day as well. Yeah, I enjoyed it a lot when I was batting.

“Then, when I went to deep mid-on, when I took the catch, they cheered me or, you know, the guys. I really enjoyed myself every time I’ve played here.”

Zadran dedicated his Player-of-the-Match award to head coach Jonathan Trott, who parted ways with the team after the win over Canada, crediting the former England cricketer for instilling discipline in him and helping improve his batting.

Handling pressure

“He (Trott) taught us how to play in pressure situations, how to build your innings and worked with us technically, tactically, mentally,” the Afghan batter said.