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A big and shocking news is coming out from the cricket world. Afghanistan cricket team captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, who recently faced a crushing defeat in the ODI series played against India, has resigned from his post. Experienced left-handed batsman Shahidi has announced to step down from the captaincy with immediate effect. His decision has come at a time when the team had to face a 3-0 clean sweep in the 3-match ODI series on the recent Indian tour. However, he has clarified that this is his completely personal decision. A big decision was taken after the defeat against India. The performance of the Afghanistan team in the 3-match One Day International series played against Team India in the month of June was very disappointing and they had to lose the series 3-0. Immediately after this defeat, captain Hashmatullah Shahidi issued a statement on his official Instagram account and announced his resignation from the post. He said in his statement that it has been a matter of great pride and honor for him to carry this responsibility as captain and he has led the team with complete honesty and unity. Shahidi clarified that it is his personal decision to step down from captaincy, but as a player he will remain fully available for selection in ODI cricket. Captaincy journey and contribution to Afghanistan cricket Hashmatullah Shahidi took charge of the Afghanistan ODI team in January 2022. Under his leadership the team made many historic and memorable performances. The biggest highlight of his captaincy was the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, where the Afghanistan team surprised by defeating big teams like England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Netherlands. Apart from this, under his leadership the team also participated in the Champions Trophy 2025 and Asia Cup. Shahidi captained Afghanistan in a total of 55 ODI matches, out of which the team won 27 matches. Under his captaincy, Afghanistan also won bilateral series against Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Ireland. The journey ahead as a batsman and the next captain After leaving the captaincy, the Afghanistan team is now looking for a new captain, because in the month of August the team has to play another important 5-match ODI series against Ireland. Talking about as a batsman, Hashmatullah Shahidi has played many good innings in international cricket, which also includes his brilliant century against India at Chennai ground, where he played an unbeaten inning of 102 runs in 131 balls. Now it remains to be seen how beneficial his performance as a player proves to be for the team after being relieved of the burden of captaincy.