 The dream of all the Afghans was to go to the IPL and fulfill the dream of all the Afghans. I was very proud of the paradise. I was very happy with all the Afghans. Ours is a friendship tested in time, over thousands of years. From the legends of Mahabharata to the shared sensibilities of Gandhara civilization. From being the primary trading hub and transit route to connect Central Asia with the Indian subcontinent to the humble, peace-loving, rustic traders that continue to come down to the Indian mainland even today. The people of Afghanistan and India have undoubtedly been friends across forever. Our companionship has turned into a commitment of growing together. While over two decades of incessant civil unrest has torn Afghanistan from inside out India has continued to remain the Afghan people's friend in need and a friend in need. With an extensive development assistance program of over 3 billion US dollars India's abiding dedication towards peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan remains unparalleled in South Asia. Years of insecurity and unrest has severely limited the growth avenues of Afghan youth. With the turn of events that spelled new hope for the war-ravaged nation they started looking forward to better opportunities. Cricket became one such surging metaphor of hope for the Afghan youth. The game embodies their expression of freedom and their modes to reach out to the wider world. That's perhaps the reason why when their top cricketing icons, Muhammad Nabi and Roshad Khan were selected to play in the most celebrated cricket league in the world the Indian Premier League, their joy new no bounds. The home ground in India has played a major role in shaping their game. The state-of-the-art ground provides the Afghan national cricket team with not just the best of infrastructure in coaching but also gives the players an innate sense of security and homely walls. Every cricketer wants to play in India, especially if that's an associate nation, associate players. It has opened a gate to play at the world's best place for cricket. I would like to thank BCCI, the Indian government and also the Breton Oil Authority for allowing us to use their territory, to use their facility. So it helped us tremendously and also it gives a real good exposure to our players to get into the Indian market and also Indian lobby, which is tremendous in the world. Deep-rooted cultural ties between the two nations have sustained through the ages. We think alike, have common social practices, our cuisines have matching traits and most Afghan nationals understand and appreciate the nuances of the Hindi language and culture. Mainstream Hindi cinema and songs are popular in Afghanistan. Chainzhi, mera darzhi, mere ashi ki avatum ji ho. Yaap yaak ki boh dosha lagta hai. India mein aak ke yahan par boh tacha laga. Aur yahan pe time spent karna boh tacha lag raha hai. Yahan ke log, yahan ke food, everything boh zabadas tha. The experience is not limited to cricket alone. It's cross-culture within the country, it's cross-culture within countries. It has helped inculcate a spirit of the case. It's just in India, North India and Afghanistan not very different. They speak even the language in India most of the part. So for them it's not a big change. And I think this relationship going from ancient times because Afghanistan these are neighbour countries. The extensive Afghan community settled in India would agree to that. They too look forward to India for support. That would help them shape their destiny. Mohammad Nabi and Rashid are the best players in Afghanistan. They are both best players Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. Afghans are very happy to see this match. And this friendship grows with these players. The India-Afghanistan-Terminda-Rawabid-Deer-Pakwana-Pateshwidi and all the people of Afghanistan, they feel that India is the most important country in the world. And the most important country in the world. We are very happy to see that Afghanistan and India have made a lot of progress. They have made a lot of progress. They have made a lot of progress. They have made a lot of progress in sports and education. This familiarity is helping the Afghan cricketers to perform better. What we have observed that whenever they get an opportunity Afghan players they do wonders. Which really impressed not only the CCI but also to the ICC. That's why they are being given the membership of ICC and all the status is being increased. From an ICC affiliate member that won their first international tournament in 2007 to becoming an associate member and then a test-playing nation in just about 10 years. Now that's a phenomenal rise in every sense. In fact, Afghanistan is the only non-common wealth country ever to have achieved a test cricket-playing status. And I must thank India for showcasing the talent of the Afghan cricket to the world. We would have not been able to show the talent that we had in Afghanistan without the support of India. India and Indians inspire these cricketers in many ways. Most importantly, here the rising stars of Afghanistan have a chance to meet their own cricketing icons. The IPL became their long cherished dream country for the Afghan players as well as their testing ground. Here they were playing in the planet's most extravagant cricketing carnival with a cumulative reach of 363.9 million viewers which is about 10 times the population of Afghanistan with a total prize money pool of around 8 million U.S. dollars. This is as big as it gets in the world of cricket. Playing with some of the biggest legends of cricket chiseled their game to an even better shape. India has a lot of talent and a lot of players and all the coaches are here. We get to meet a lot. Both strong characters have shown on that with their performances. I didn't think that they were the first to come to India or that they put something different from there. They are enjoying here. The young Afghan team continues to chart new frontiers. In their resounding win against West Indies, Rashid Khan continued his incredible rise to stardom recording the fourth-best bowling figures in one-day international history. He took seven wickets for 18 runs. I think it's a great opportunity. There are a plethora of opportunities to augment the relationship between the two countries through sports, through youth affairs and Afghan youth is really looking at India. Cricket can play a huge role socially and both people-to-people contribution also. It can enhance and boost the relationship between the two countries, not only at the government level but at the people-to-people as well. I would say India is playing a real healthy and constructive role in this and since we started playing in India. Even the most dedicated talents need a favorable ecosystem to flourish. Concerted all-round support from India is helping these young Afghans to reach their true potential. A stream of support that's committed to continue flowing, bringing people closer to people. Celebrating the journey gone live and remaining friends across forever.