That eccentric little dynamo of Icelandic cricket, Abhi Chauhan, is set to play his 100th match this evening. Of his matches to date, 55 have been for the Iceland national team, 39 for Kópavogur and five for Reykjavík. He will reach the landmark tonight in Kópavogur colours. He has scored 821 runs at 14.40 with two half-centuries: 54 not out for Iceland against Columbia in 2015, and 58 for Iceland against Hackney Village in 2017. He has taken 61 wickets at 28.48 with a best performance of 3 for 15 in the same game against Hackney Village. He captained Kópavogur between 2015 and 2020.
His team-mates have paid tribute to him ahead of the auspicious occasion:
It was Abhi's enthusiasm and persistence that got me back into Iceland Cricket. His energy and commitment to build Iceland Cricket and to be able to win matches outside of Iceland is infectious. I am glad to see him stick with it since the days of me watching him play in Klambratun. Bala Kamallakharan
Abhi is an ambitious strategic game planner. He is both impulsive (fast and furious) and cunning, whether on the cricket field or inside Indian Food Box, "Abhihaviour" that is widely respected and invaluable for Iceland Cricket. Olafur Briem
Stopping balls with your face takes courage. Jakob Robertson
I was just about to use that sentence, Jakob. Abhi is an absolute legend for Iceland Cricket. He never backs down from any challenge. I admire his work ethic and dedication. Keenan Botha
Ha ha! It was golden. Then he ended up being half blind and kept playing. Jakob Robertson
It's amazing to experience the outer Abhi battling the inner Abhi, but the inner Abhi always wins, like I saw when (out of the blue) he cleaned his hands on the umpire's trousers. Nolan Williams
No matter how much he can eat, the man never gets fat. I'm jealous. Chamley Fernando
Watching the man eat a plate of olives for breakfast will stay with me forever. Lee Nelson
There's an Icelandic cricket phenomenon called Abhism and thus world cricket is safe. Leslie Dcunha
In the cookie of Iceland Cricket, Abhi is the chocolate chips. I'd love to visit the Chinese buffet in Kingston-upon-Thames again with Abhi. And I don't want to share my toilet with him. Never ever. Prabhath Weerasooriya
My favourite memory of Abhi is when we shared a Travelodge bedroom in Kingston-upon-Thames. Nobody knew why, but we had been allocated the disabled twin room. Anyway, one morning he got tangled up in the bathroom and accidentally called the red cord for disabled assistance. Reception was up in less than a minute enquiring what our problem was, and could not believe for an instant that it was an accident. Nevertheless, Abhi still gave reception a five-minute lecture on the importance of introducing air conditioning and better sewerage systems in their hotel. David Cook
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