Afghanistan’s opening batsman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, became emotional and opened up to Telecom Asia Sport about his struggles in the early days of his career at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, where he finished his campaign at the Abu Dhabi T10.
Known for his explosive style of batting, Gurbaz also took on the captain’s role for the first time with UP Nawabs, one of two new teams entering the franchise league tournament in its eighth season. Despite the additional burden of captaincy, Gurbaz led the scoring charts for a day, until Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit a fifty in the final and overtook him.
A simple question asking him to reflect on his career and rise in international career so far made the 23-year-old emotional.
You have already mentioned that it is a long story. But I’ll just say one thing. As a cricketer, there are so many ups and downs in life. You know, there are hard times. Especially in cricket life, happy times do come. But most of the time, you know, there are hard times.
While the story of Afghan’s cricketers rising above odds is folklore, some of them have had to battle more challenges even internally. Gurbaz delved into a defining memory from his early days, a moment that symbolised the challenges he faced.
I remember one time when I was part of the Under-19 side. There was no bat with me. We had a match against India in a competition, and my batting coach told me to get ready. But I didn’t have a bat. Bats were expensive, and there was no money to buy one.
I asked everyone, ‘Please, give me a bat’. Most of the Afghan players, including me, came from very poor families. Eventually, someone lent me a bat.
I don’t want to name him, but even the person who lent me one said: ‘I’ve two – one good, one bad – but I will give you the substandard so you don’t ruin my good one’. It was, to be honest, a very bad bat. Still, I took it, because I had no other choice.
I played with that bat, and I made a hundred with it. I won the match for my team on my debut. That was one of the hardest moments in my life. But it was also a turning point, because those struggles taught me a lot.
Yet, reflecting on how far he has come, Gurbaz expressed gratitude for his journey, acknowledging the sacrifices and hard work it took to reach where he is today.
I have never told this to anyone or in front of the media before but that was the hardest journey in my life. Now, with God’s grace, everything is there for me. I never focus on being too high or too low. Whatever I’m getting, I’m getting. Behind this journey, there is so much hard work.
Gurbaz was not aware that he was leading the tournament’s batting charts at the time until it was pointed out by a reporter.
I don't see much about who is leading in runs or wickets or anything like that. I like to play my game and that’s it.
Afghan cricketers have been lapped up well at the recently held player auctions for the Indian Premier League (IPL), the richest franchise league cricket tournament.
Gurbaz, who has the most one-day international hundreds for Afghanistan, was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in late 2022 and played a key role in ensuring the franchise won the IPL crown last year.
Last month, he became the second-youngest to reach eight ODI centuries behind Quinton de Kock, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. For every aspiring cricketer dreaming big from humble beginnings, his journey remains a beacon of hope and inspiration.
When asked about feelings towards the IPL auction and which team he would like to perform for, Gurbaz said:
IPL is always exciting to perform in, but I don’t focus too much on the auction. Whatever I get from the auction, I will be happy with it. I believe in my skills and I have done well in the past so I hope the IPL franchises see that as well. Every team there is good and the overall management too, so I’m looking forward to play for the team which is best for me to improve my cricket and where I can be a good fit.
The Afghan star was later bought by KKR for INR 2 Crores, to which he added:
I am really excited to go out there and play good cricket. Coincidentally, Eden Gardens is one of my favourite pitches to play on and I score well there usually, so I am happy and can’t wait to perform in Kolkata.
This will be the second time Gurbaz would be playing for KKR, and would be looking to follow up after helping the franchise secure their third IPL trophy last year at the final in May 2024.
