The call from Shahidi changed my career - Ibrahim Zadran

Ibrahim Zadran, the Afghanistan opener, was living in London after being dropped from the national team in 2021 when a phone call from skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi changed the trajectory of his career. In an exclusive chat with Cricbuzz, Zadran reflected on his journey -- from rediscovering his game to the heartbreak of Afghanistan's 2023 World Cup loss to Australia after Glenn Maxwell's heroics, and the sweet taste of redemption in the T20 World Cup. He also shared insights into his batting philosophy and the mindset that fuels his success on the big stage.

Excerpts:

You are returning to the Afghanistan squad for the Champions Trophy after a long layoff due to injury? Can you tell us something about the recovery period?

Ibrahim Zadran: When you play for two or three years consistently for the country and be with the team and then you stay away from the team you know the environment is not easy and so it was very tough, to be honest. I didn't let the negative ego come into my mind and so I was trying to focus on my fitness and mental health, and I was pushing and trying to be positive. And it wasn't easy. I always wanted to focus on my mental side as I wanted to be more positive and never thought that 'you are missing a long period of time as you are not with the team'. Yes I was thinking like that (when will I play again), but I said once I am fit and come back to the field, I will do my things. I worked on my fitness and it won't be a problem for me to start from where I left off due to injury.

How did your cricketing journey start?

Ibrahim Zadran: Me and Mujeeb [Ur Rahman] started cricket together. Not only cricket we studied together and we were playing together in the garden and we were watching together as the Afghanistan cricket team played for the first time in 2010 World Cup. After that I started playing hard-ball cricket and joined an academy but before that I was playing in the garden with my cousins and family members.

You made your Test debut before stepping into white-ball cricket, and your batting style differs from the typical Afghan approach of aggressive strokeplay. How did you develop this distinct style and set yourself apart from the rest?

Ibrahim Zadran: I would say most of the time I watch all international cricket matches and try to watch international players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson, and try to watch their batting and I am inspired by them. I thought about that I should play like them. Yes we can play hard and we can smash the bowlers but I should start playing like this to inspire the new generation. This is what I worked on myself and I used to watch their batting and I used to watch international cricket. At that time Sachin Tendulkar used to play and I also used to watch Kumar Sangakara and they were playing very solid, very technical, and so yeah I was watching their batting and got the technical things and cricketing things and that's why started playing like that.

After making your ODI debut, you were out of the national team for two years. But when you returned, you scored several centuries in a short span. What did you focus on during that period?

Ibrahim Zadran: I still remember that I was sidelined for two years and I didn't give up as I was trying to think positive and be motivated and the only thing I can say was that I was working on my fitness and hard work, and just telling never give up and work hard and trust your skill. Once you are sidelined so many things come to your mind like, your team-mates, what they are doing and all those things. And this what I was thinking and there were negative things that I didn't let come into my mind and I was just trying to focus on my fitness and skill. I did not want to focus on social media and these things.

Do you have any specific role in the team?

Ibrahim Zadran: As I told you earlier I try to watch international cricketer and want to learn from them always. I watch TV watch, their interviews and watch their speech what they say after the innings and after their match, and always try to listen to them. When I was in London in 2021, when the national team playing the T20 World Cup, the top order was struggling during that time and there was no consistency in top order. This is what I was feeling and I just told myself - 'Ibrahim if you keep working hard and trust in yourself you will get in'.

I wanted to be proper opener for Afghanistan and not only in one format but all three formats. I got a call from Hashmatullah Shahidi when he became the captain and he said we are going to have a camp in Qatar. Got the call from him and the board and he said 'what are you doing in London?' And I told him, 'I don't have any plan to stay here, I'm struck here because of visa problem. Before I came to the side for the second time, that call gave me lot of energy. I didn't expect that call and when you don't expect anything and you get something it's totally a different feeling. I am thankful to him. Still he is backing me and he is very good to me.

Andy Moore was very impressed with you?

Ibrahim Zadran: Oh yeah, he was the head coach and chief selector and he supported me a lot. I still remember he was trying to work on our skill and he was trying to make us disciplined and he was very strict. He wanted to grow Afghanistan cricket. At that time Nawroz Mangal was also there and I must give credit to him. He and Moles worked really hard.

When you bat alongside Rahmanullah Gurbaz, what do you two discuss in the middle, given his completely different batting style? It must be exciting watching him go all out from the other end.

Ibrahim Zadran: Usually we talk (about the conditions and the situation) but I can say that I wasn't like that but when Jonathan [Trott, head coach] came into the squad, he shared lots of experience with me. My focus was not on these things and I just wanted to bat. I didn't think about these things (communicating with my partners regularly). I always learn from Jonathan and he says you should always think and focus on small things like communication. Now when I bat, not only with Gurbaz but Rahmat and Hashmat or anyone, I try to read the situation and talk to them and that communication is very important between each other during the game, especially in the pressure time.

You scored a hundred in the 2023 World Cup and still lost to Australia? Was that your biggest disappointment?

Ibrahim Zadran: No it wasn't. I scored a hundred and I was not thinking about that hundred and my all focus, everyone's focus, was to win the game. We had a chance to play in the semi-final before Maxwell came. The way we played the whole tournament - four (three) wins in a row, it was unbelievable. The game against Australia, it was a very close game and nobody expected Australia would have won that game but the way Maxwell batted, I would say it was unbelievable. We gave him two chances but it was his day and after that he didn't take any pressure. We took the pressure on ourselves and that is the reason we didn't handle the pressure and that's why he won the game.

It must have been a learning curve?

Ibrahim Zadran: Exactly, as much as you play every single day it's all about learning. We as humans and as cricketers, we always learn from each and every single day. So I have learnt from that game how to handle pressure.

In the T20 World Cup you scored a fifty and won the game against Australia?

Ibrahim Zadran: That was a brilliant feeling because we lost the match in the 50-over World Cup and then we face them again in the T20 World Cup and everybody wanted to win the game and fight against them. That was like a revenge, you know, when someone won a game against you in a big event like the 50-over World Cup and we beat them in the T20 World Cu, that feeling was totally amazing. I can say we took revenge against them. We won the game and we put them in trouble and pressure and then they didn't qualify for the semi-final.

Can you tell us the difference between Rashid and Hashmat as captains in terms of approach?

Ibrahim Zadran: I can say both are very good captains in their own way. Rashid always wants to lead from the front and wants to inspire the youngsters, and he got a hunger to do more for the country and he is an aggressive and good leader. As far as Hashmat is concerned, he is very calm and always wants to encourage players and keep the environment calm and disciplined and try to give energy and support to them.