"Experience of playing in India will give us edge over NZ": Afghanistan's Rahmat Shah

Rahmat Shah (Pic: AFP)

Afghanistan batsman Rahmat Shah said that his team's past experience of playing in India will give them an edge over New Zealand in the only Test match scheduled to be played at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground.

The only Test match between Afghanistan and New Zealand will kick start on September 9.

Rahmat Shah was part of the Afghanistan team that played Test matches in Bengaluru, Dehradun and Lucknow.

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"Our past experience in India will help us. We had our home ground in Noida and in Lucknow, and we have played a lot of matches here and done a lot of camps here. We are also accustomed with the weather and pitch conditions of India, so we certainly have an edge", Shah told Cricbuzz.

Ahead of the one-off Test, Rahmat Shah who is the leading run-scorer of Afghanistan in Tests and ODIs will aim to give a tough time to New Zealand.

"We will try to give them a tough time. They have won the ICC Test Championship and we tried to have the best of preparations and we are looking forward to the challenge that is lying ahead", he said.

The 31-year-old top-order batter said he has made some technical changes to adapt to the conditions here.

"I just tried to concentrate more and practice more (to make technical adjustments). Earlier my shoulder used to get open and I tried to make it sideways and tried to straighter my alignment. When the fast bowler used to come, I used to move towards off stump a bit more and as a result I used to fall down."

"I used to play my shot through my wrist but now I am trying to take my feet and just worked hard to get it into my batting template", Rahmat Shah added.

(With PTI Inputs)