3 min readJun 6, 2026 07:10 PM IST On his way to the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh PCA Stadium in Mullanpur on Saturday morning, Khial Mohammad told his cab driver something worth remembering. Afghanistan, he said, stands very little chance against India. But the players will give their best. They always do. Mohammad had come alone. Of the 2,000-odd fans inside the ground, he was the only one waving an Afghanistan flag, standing in the harsh summer sun in the Harbhajan Singh pavilion. By afternoon, four other Afghan fans had trickled in to other parts of the ground. Until then, it was just him. He had reasons to be there beyond the match. Two of the players on the field are old friends. Nangeyalia Kharote, who made his Test debut on Saturday, is from Baghlan province. Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi is from Khost. Mohammad knows both from the junior cricket circuit back home. When Kharote’s name was called, Mohammad chanted it from the stands. A Kabul native, Mohammad has been studying at a private university near …