Who is Devender Kumar? The Indian voice who has millions of Afghanistan cricket fans

Afghanistan cricket has been on the rise over the last few years. Their best showing came when they reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2024, just a few months ago. While their dream of playing Test cricket against New Zealand in a Test match hasn’t come to fruition, one Indian is grabbing all the headlines and that is none other than Devender Kumar. 

The name Devender Kumar may not be known to many Indian cricket fans. The commentator though has a huge fan base in Afghanistan for being the voice of their national cricket team. 

In an era where commentary has to be catering to the high-octane action on the field, Kumar is synonymous for being a consummate follower of Afghanistan cricket. The man is loved so much that he is now considered an Aghan more than a Indian. 

Devender Kumar: The voice of Afghanistan cricket 

The official networking profile of Devender Kumar states him to be a commentator associated with Test Match Special. After starting his career as a commentator for Polo matches, Kumar soon moved to cricket commentary. His love for the game saw him become the official voice of Afghanistan cricket team. 

During a chat with the Indian Express, Devender Kumar said that he was a fan of former commentators like Tony Greig and Ian Chappell. His passionate way of calling matches soon resonated with the Afghanistan cricket viewers. This also led Devender Kumar to become more inclined not only to Afghanistan international cricket but also local cricket. 

Speaking to the Indian Express, Kumar said “it still gives me goosebumps, They started chanting my name, they clapped for over a minute. It was a pretty surreal feeling, something I am going to treasure till my last breath.”

The commentator also has a fan in Raees Ahmedzai who is a former Afghan player who said to the Indian Express “He is more Afghan than Indian now. He knows the stats and numbers of Afghan domestic cricketers like no one else. He is loved by the cricketers, the fans and he indeed is the voice of Afghanistan cricket,”

Citing Tony Grieg as an example, Kumar said to the Indian Express “I never played cricket at any level. The voice of Tony Greig is the reason I wanted to become a commentator. I am just a cricket enthusiast, who is learning and falling in love with this beautiful game every day,” 

The biggest moment for Devender Kumar came when Ian Chappell interacted with him and also gave him a signed cap. “Chappell saw me practising commentary one day and gave me a signed cap. During my time in Jaipur, I spent a lot of time listening to BBC programmes, be it cricket commentary, football or tennis. I would try to copy it” said Kumar during his chat with the newspaper. 

When asked by the newspaper to recount his first assignment in cricket, Kumar said “My first international break came in 2017 during the Afghanistan vs Ireland series. I still don’t know who recommended my name. During my endless visits to the SMS stadium, I met Alan Wilkins, Danny Morrison, Harsha Bhogle and others. I guess one of them recommended my name to the ACB,”

Devender Kumar though came very close to losing his life during a coverage of a live game. The commentator was mere meters away from a Bomb Blast which took place post which he left Afghanistan. 

Recounting the incident, Kumar said “I was 10 yards away from the blast site. Two people died and there were several injuries. It happened during the innings break of the Shpageeza League match between Pamir Zalmi and Band-e-Amir”. Gulbadin Naib infact thanked the Indian with a moving post on social media. 

With Afghanistan on the rise the name Devender Kumar is set to be ingrained in people’s memory a lot more. His analysis and his deep knowledge of the players and their records has given many Afghan fans the much-needed voice. Just like his idol Tony Grieg who was known as the voice of Sri Lankan cricket, Mr. Devender Kumar is sure to inspire millions more voices.