Afghanistan spinner Allah Ghazanfar has expressed admiration for Indian cricket stars Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, praising their character and performance while preparing for the upcoming Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025. The young bowler, who was recently signed by Mumbai Indians for the 2025 IPL season, shared his insights about learning from these experienced players through the IPL platform.Ghazanfar’s journey in the IPL began when he was picked in the 2023 auction and later joined Kolkata Knight Riders as a replacement for Mujeeb ur Rahman, though he didn’t play any matches that season. Mumbai Indians subsequently signed him for the 2025 season.“Rohit Sharma is a superstar. I like his character a lot. I like Jasprit Bumrah’s character a lot as well. He has done a lot for India. He has a lot of world experience. I saw his match planning, I saw everything. I got the experience of how he plans and executes, I got the benefit of what we saw from him during IPL,” Ghazanfar told ANI.The Afghan spinner also commended his senior teammates, particularly highlighting Rashid Khan’s influence on his development.“Our senior team has a lot of experience. Rashid is a star. He is the star of all. Bowling with him is a good thing. He has a lot of experience. If he sees me, he will tell me what to do. He will tell me what not to do,” he added.Ghazanfar has demonstrated his prowess in international cricket, taking 29 wickets in 20 matches for Afghanistan at an average of 22.17, with his best figures being 6/26 against Bangladesh.The Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025 will see Afghanistan A begin their campaign on November 15 against Sri Lanka A, followed by matches against Bangladesh A and Hong Kong, China.The Afghanistan squad includes ten players from the previous tournament’s winning team, featuring talents like Sediqullah Atal, Bilal Sami, and Qais Ahmad.Darwish Rasooli will lead the team as captain, with Sediqullah Atal serving as vice-captain. The squad also includes Noor Rahman and Mohammad Ishaq as wicketkeepers, along with other promising players.Wafiullah Tarakhil, Sediqullah Pacha, and Yama Arab have been named as reserve players.
