Indian team is dominant against Afghanistan Team India has won 7 T20 matches against Afghanistan. Team India is hoping for ‘Virat’ innings from Kohli
New Delhi. Indian cricket team captained by Rohit Sharma will face Afghanistan on Thursday. Team India will not make the mistake of taking Afghanistan lightly in the Super 8 of T20 World Cup 2024. Team led by Rashid Khan has defeated New Zealand. In this match to be played in Bridgetown, all eyes will be on Virat Kohli, who has not been able to reach double figures in this World Cup. Caribbean pitches are suitable for spinners. In such a situation, it has to be seen whether wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav gets a chance in this match or not. Kuldeep did not get a chance to play in any match in the group stage.
There is a lot of discussion about the composition of the Indian team (IND vs AFG). India will not make any changes to its group stage squad nor replace a specialist fast bowler with its best spinner from the previous year. At the start of the tournament, captain Rohit Sharma insisted on keeping 4 all-rounders (Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Akshar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja) in the playing XI.
Rohit Sharma would not like to tamper with this combination
This strategy also proved effective for India on the bowler-friendly pitch of New York. This adds depth to the batting at number eight and the captain will not like to tamper with this combination. Mohammad Siraj or Arshdeep Singh will have to be left out to bring Kuldeep into the team. If that happens, Siraj may have to stay out. A look at the Indian team’s two practice sessions reinforces Kuldeep’s claim as the pitch helps the spinners. Cool breezes around Kensington Oval should give the fast bowlers swing in the powerplay.
Virat could not reach double figures
Indian fans will be eyeing Kohli who is yet to reach double figures in this tournament. He did not succeed in his familiar style in New York but is expected to do better in the West Indies. Dubey, who was included in the squad to hit sixes in the middle and death overs, has been at his best only once so far. He could not play freely on American pitches but now he wants to play big shots. India’s star T20 batsman Suryakumar Yadav scored runs against America by playing against his own style.
Pandya dominates the bowling but will have to show strength in the batting
Hardik Pandya, who is performing brilliantly in bowling, could not score runs either. Arshdeep’s performance in bowling has improved match by match and he has been supporting Jasprit Bumrah very well. Akshar and Jadeja will also prove useful on pitches that support spinners. On the other hand, the Afghanistan team has reached here after losing against West Indies in the last match of the group stage. The West Indies batsmen proved that their bowlers were decisive in the first three matches.
We should be wary of these rogues from Afghanistan
Captain Rashid Khan will rely on left-arm fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqui, who has taken the highest 12 wickets in the tournament so far. Among the batsmen, in-form Rahmanullah Gurbah and Ibrahim Zadran will be expected to perform well.
Tags: ICC T20 World Cup, IND vs AFG, Virat Kohli
First published: June 19, 2024, 19:20 IST