Rashid Khan, Afghanistan's leg-spinner who is also playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has said that playing Test cricket is the dream of every country and player.

“Everyone is keenly awaiting the Test match. It is an opportunity for us to showcase our skills. We will be tested on how good we are and if we are good enough to play Test cricket. For us as a team, it is a big challenge. The boys are working hard. I hope we will do well in the match and give a tough fight to India,” Rashid said as quoted by the Times of India.

Rashid is not the only Afghan player in the IPL, Mohammed Nabi and Mujeeb Zadran are the other cricketers who are playing for Sunrisers and Kings XI Punjab, respectively.

Rashid, says the excitement of playing the maiden Test match after being granted Test status last year is not limited to the team but an entire cricket-crazy nation.

Rashid, who turns out for Sunrisers, explained, "Playing Test cricket is the dream of every country and player. It is a huge honor and achieving this in a short time is a proud achievement for all of us. It will be a big moment for cricket in Afghanistan to play a Test against India. I can't wait to be called a Test cricketer. I think there will be no one who will not watch the match back home. People in Afghanistan are crazy about cricket."

A lot of Afghanistan's success has depended on their vital strength - spin bowling and Rashid feels that his team will look to cash in on the advantage.

"Every team has its strengths. Everyone knows Afghanistan has the best spin bowling attack because of which we have won a lot of matches. We have been working hard on fast bowling and batting departments as well,” he said.

As the team gears up to take on an Indian team sans Virat Kohli, Rashid feels India's records and reputation will not intimidate his team.

While the Afghan spinners are world class, their batsmen have a lot of catching up to do.

Their highest ranked ICC batsman is Rahmat Shah at 32 and is among the four Afghans in the top-100. Rashid believes their success in the Test match depends a lot on their batting.

“Batting will be the key for us. If we bat well, we can trouble any good side with the ball,” he said.

Rashid is hoping the historic Test match will open up opportunities against other major teams.

“We are hoping to get more games against the big teams. And have a long series, not like one or two ODIs. It's a tough challenge for us. We can say real cricket has started now (for Afghanistan),” said as quoted by Times of India.