Afghanistan Add Mohammad Saleem to ODI Squad for India Series

Mohammad Saleem has been added to Afghanistan’s 16-man ODI squad for the 3-match series vs India, starting June 13. He was initially only in the Test squad but earned promotion after his performance in the one-off Test in New Chandigarh, June 6-8.

Saleem was originally only part of Afghanistan's Test squad. He picked up six wickets in the one-off Test against India in New Chandigarh. Despite oppressive heat, he regularly touched 140kph and bowled long spells on a pitch that offered little for fast bowlers. He was one of the few bright spots for the visitors in their innings-and-350-run defeat.

"He was just fantastic," Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus had said of Saleem's performance in the Test match. "If you come here and you take six wickets in extreme heat against high-quality batting, that goes very well, not just for him as a bowler, but for us as a side."

6-wicket haul in the Test: Saleem took 6/140 in India’s first innings, including key wickets of Shubman Gill and Mohammed Siraj. Bowled long spells at 140kph+ on a flat pitch in extreme heat. Head coach Richard Pybus called it “fantastic” against high-quality batting.

"I don't have any history with these guys before," he said. "So in terms of their combinations, this is part of my learning curve. I do know that he has had some niggles in the past. So, yeah, it's just getting them on the park consistently and allowing them to back up these performances."

Afghanistan ODI squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Gurbaz, Zadran, Atal, Rasooli, Rahmat Shah, Ikram, Nabi, Omarzai, Rashid, Kharotai, Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman, Fareed Malik, Bilal Sami, Mohammad Saleem. Fitness update: Rashid Khan missed the last Mohali session but expected to join in Dharamsala; Nabi was unwell.

Bottom line: Saleem’s 6-wicket Test showing got him an ODI call-up. The 23-year-old pacer joins Afghanistan’s squad for the India series after impressing in New Chandigarh.