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'Man Who Inspired...': Ibrahim Zadran's Honest Reply To Sachin Tendulkar's Big Praise

Soumyajit Dutta

Ibrahim Zadran and Sachin Tendulkar [Source: @shindesarkar/X.com]Ibrahim Zadran and Sachin Tendulkar [Source: @shindesarkar/X.com]

Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran delivered a historic performance against England in Lahore, smashing a remarkable 177 off 146 balls in the Champions Trophy 2025. His record-breaking inning was one of the factors for knocking England out of the tournament and keeping Afghanistan’s semi-final hopes alive.

Ibrahim Zadran’s outstanding knock earned widespread appreciation, with none other than Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar acknowledging his performance. 

Zadran's Honest And Heartfelt Reply To Tendulkar's Appreciation

Taking to social media, Sachin Tendulkar lauded Afghanistan’s rise in world cricket and praised Zadran for his exceptional innings. On his official social media handle, Tendulkar praised the cricketer after the match.

"Afghanistan’s steady and consistent rise in international cricket has been inspiring! You can’t term their wins as upsets anymore, they’ve made this a habit now. A superb century by @IZadran18," Tendulkar wrote.

In response, Zadran expressed his gratitude to the cricketing icon, highlighting what Tendulkar’s praise meant to him and Afghanistan’s cricketing community.

"What an honour it is to be praised by the very man who inspired generations to pick up the bat. @sachin_rt your words mean a lot to me and to cricket in Afghanistan. Thank you, sir," Zadran replied in his post.

Afghanistan Rules Over England

In a thrilling contest at Lahore, Afghanistan edged past England by eight runs, sealing the defending champions’ fate in the tournament. With this victory, Hashmatullah Shahidi’s men set up a crucial showdown against Australia in a virtual quarter-final for a semi-final berth.

In the match, Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first, but early setbacks saw Jofra Archer dismiss Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sediqullah Atal in quick succession. Archer further dented Afghanistan by sending back Rahmat Shah inside the powerplay. 

However, Zadran’s resilient knock steered the innings as he registered the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history and the highest-ever ODI score by an Afghan batter. 

England's Shaky Chase Attempt

Chasing 326, England lost Phil Salt cheaply before Jamie Smith and Joe Root steadied the ship. Root formed a crucial 83-run stand with Jos Buttler before Liam Livingstone’s early dismissal put England under pressure. Root’s 17th ODI century gave England hope, but Azmatullah Omarzai turned the game in Afghanistan’s favour with a brilliant five-wicket haul. 

Afghanistan now face Australia at the same venue on February 28 in a must-win clash, where victory would propel them into the semi-finals.