Ihsanullah Janat

Ihsanullah Janat is one of the several middle-order batsmen who made their way to the Afghan national team as young prodigies. He made it to the Afghanistan U-19 squad in the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup but failed to make a mark due to the limited opportunities. He was, however, persisted with and was handed a first-class opportunity for Afghanistan against the Netherlands in the ICC Intercontinental Cup in July 2016.

He made his ODI debut for Afghanistan against Zimbabwe at Harare in February 2017 and his List A debut for Boost Region in the 2017 Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament in August 2017. He made his Twenty20 debut for Mis Ainak cricket team in the 2017 Shpageeza Cricket League on 12 September 2017.

His claim to fame came rather recently in November 2017, when in Afghanistan's Intercontinental Cup match against the UAE, he, along with Rahmat Shah Zurmatai, broke the record for the highest partnership in the country's brief first-class history, as they carted 197 runs for the second wicket. The youngster also scored a stroke-filled maiden first-class hundred during the course of the innings.

An eye-catching stroke-maker at his best, he hasn't quite lit the international stage on fire yet. Nevertheless, at the ripe age of 20, and with only a handful of international games under his belt, the best is yet to come from this bundle of talent.

By Rishi Roy

As of March 2018