Sushma Swaraj praises Afghan cricket team for getting Test status against all odds

India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj praised the Afghanistan’s cricket team on Monday, calling them a "testament to the indomitable spirit of the people of Afghanistan." 

She was addressing the press after the Indo-Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Council with various ministers including Afghanistan FM Salahuddin Rabbani. 

Sushma Swaraj praised Afghanistan’s cricket team, as she reiterated India's desire to stop cross-border terrorism and said India would keep on working with Afghanistan to ‘build governance and democratic institutions.'

She said, "The fact that Afghanistan attained status of test playing nation is testament to the indomitable spirit of the people of Afghanistan to not let the forces of death and destruction prevail."

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— Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) September 11, 2017

Afghanistan and Ireland were approved as full members by the ICC this June, making them cricket's 11th and 12th Test-playing nations. 

Afghanistan's rise in the cricketing world has been remarkable. They first gained ODI status in 2009 with a sixth-place finish at that year's World Cup Qualifier in South Africa. It followed three consecutive promotions over the previous year when they began in Division Five of the World Cricket League. 

They have secured three straight ODI and T20I series wins over Zimbabwe as well as a win over eventual champion West Indies at the 2016 World T20. They drew their maiden ODI series in West Indies.

Afghanistan host their international matches in India's Great Noida.