India-Afghanistan Test more important than Virat-Anushka wedding news: Salim Durani

Mumbai: Former India cricketer Salim Durani, who celebrated his 83rd birthday on Monday, had a couple of reasons to celebrate it.

Firstly, it was on the same day when Team India captain Virat Kohli got married to Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma. According to Durani, he considers Kohli like his own son.

"Kohli is like my son. It was his decision (with Anushka) to have destination marriage. But personally I feel both being Indians should have married in our country", he said.

It was not only the news of Kohli’s marriage that took the world by storm, but also the confirmation of the Afghanistan cricket team playing their first ever Test match against India in India next year.

In fact, Durani has an Afghanistan connection as well. Born in Afghanistan, he went on to represent India in Tests, whereas he has also played for Gujarat, Rajasthan and Saurashtra.

"Kohli would have married on any day but the announcement on my birthday that my birth country would start its Test journey against India, which is a Big team, is a bigger news to me. Being an Indian, I love India", he added.

However, he mentioned that the news of Afghanistan playing their first Test against the Men in Blue gave him more joy.

"The news of Afghanistan to play its first Test against India has given me more joy than Kohli marrying Anushka on my birthday", he further stated.

While Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma got married in Italy on Monday, it was confirmed in the BCCI Special General Meeting that Afghanistan would play its first Test against the number one side in 2018.

Virat Kohli is on a break now, and will return to action ahead of India’s tour to South Africa in January.