How Afghanistan can get better at Test cricket

#2 - Play more first class (domestic) cricket

Mujeeb ur Rehman had never played a first-class match before his Test debut

While playing more Test cricket is not exactly within their hands, playing more domestic cricket is. No one expected Afghanistan to play like seasoned campaigners but the fact that they had played very little first-class cricket in itself put them on the backfoot even before a ball had been bowled.

Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Wafadar Momand were making not only their Test debut but also their first-class debut in the match against India. Among the rest, except for Mohammad Shahzad, Yamin Ahmadzai, Mohammad Nabi and Asghar Stanikzai, no one has played even 20 first-class fixtures. It is unacceptable for a player of Rashid Khan's calibre to have played only 5 first-class matches.