On Thursday night in Mohali, India and Afghanistan will begin a three-match Twenty20 International series. Both teams are focused on winning this series because the 2024 T20 World Cup will be held in the Caribbean in June.
In under 30 days, a youthful and inexperienced Indian team accomplished this feat. However, they have gained experience with the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. They’ll be up against a confident Afghanistan, who followed up an outstanding World Cup campaign with a 2-1 T20I series win over Team UAE.
Afghanistan is a formidable opponent, particularly in a league where they sincerely believe they can defeat any club at any time. Both teams will be eager to solidify their roster and find the ideal lineup with just six months left before the T20 World Cup.
IND vs AFG Team Preview & Squads
India
Due to injury worries, Team India would be without flamboyant T20 batsman and stand-in skipper Surya Kumar Yadav, useful all-rounder Hardik Pandya, and opener Ruturaj Gaikwad for this series.
Although there are no direct substitutes for these players, the Indian management and selection committee have assembled an excellent roster to face the Afghan challenge. Rohit and Kohli have returned to the group, bringing a wealth of experience. Sanju Samson has also returned to the fold, and he may get a look ahead of Jitesh Sharma, who performed admirably when given the chance. Other all-rounders are available, including Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel.
The newly assembled spin attack of Ravi Bishnoi and Kuldeep Yadav appears likely to confuse the Afghan batsmen, while the fast-bowling combo of Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar looks set to trouble them early on with some swing and seam movement. India has covered all bases and looks as strong as ever to win another bilateral T20I series at home. Afghanistan should be avoided.
Afghanistan returned to India two months after making a great showing in the ODI World Cup, this time with a formidable T20I squad. Ibrahim Zadran, their relatively youthful captain, has not yet established himself or left his mark in this format.
The possibility of facing a quality Indian squad in Indian circumstances is always intimidating, but Afghanistan has the squad to handle it. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai provide a strong starting duo, and Ibrahim Zadran may step in and calm the ship if one of them is taken down cheaply. The middle order, on the other hand, appears to be brittle, as Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Karim Janat have yet to settle into their roles and make consistent contributions.
Afghanistan’s strength has always been in bowling, so Ibrahim Zadran, the team’s youthful captain, won’t have to second-guess who to pass the ball to. Recently, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen ul Haq played quite well in the powerplay overs against the UAE. We might as well watch Mujeeb ur Rahman start bowling now that he’s back in the mix. Karim Janat and Azmatullah Omarzai, both all-round players, are effective choices at a medium tempo, while Qais Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi complete the spin attack.
Afghanistan Squads
Afghanistan Squads
Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Najibullah Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Azmaullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karim Janat, Noor Ahmad/Qais Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Match Details
Match
India vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I | Afghanistan tour of India 2024
Date
11/01/2024 (Thursday)
Time
18:30 (GMT+5) / 19:00 (GMT+5.5) / 19:30 (GMT+6)
Format
T20I
Venue
Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
The spinners will like their chances on this IS Bindra Stadium pitch since there will be a turn. However, with a par score of nearly 190, it is an excellent batting wicket.
Clear skies are predicted for this match in Mohali on Thursday evening. The humidity will be high, although the temperature will be below 14 degrees in the second half of the game.
We anticipate that both teams would opt to field first in this match since the team batting second has won four of the last six and three Twenty20 Internationals in Mohali.
IND vs AFG Head-to-Head Stats of Last 5 Matches
In the last five games, India has won four, and one match is abandoned.
According to cricket analysts, India has a 72.5% chance to win.
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