The IND vs AFG T20I series is going to begin today evening at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali, Chandigarh. After a 1-1 draw in the Test series against South Africa in Cape Town, our boys in blue are all set to show their game in action. With the T20 World Cup a few months away, IND vs AFG T20I series plays a vital role as this is the last international T20I for India before the World Cup begins.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma back in T20I
India is playing its third bilateral T20I after losing the 2023 ODI World Cup in November. Captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are going to return to the short format play after a long break. This is the first time they are returning to the T20 squad after November 2022. With Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav being ruled out due to injury, the Ro-Ko’s return has brought back a lot of excitement for their fans.
Though this decision is taken as a temporary fixation for the squad for a stronger aligned order in the absence of Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, but it is believed that the selectors are eyeing on preparing the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup That is going to be held in the USA and West Indies in June.
While India is preparing for a series win against Afghanistan, the opposing squad is all prepared to mark a win against India in their homeland under the captaincy of Ibrahim Zadran. Rashid Khan won’t be playing in the Afghanistan squad as he has not yet recovered from the surgery completely. It will be interesting to see the clash of IND vs AFG in the three-match T20I as India was the finalist team in the ODI World Cup while Afghanistan defeated the semi-finalists South Africa and pulled their first victory against Pakistan in the league stages.
According to the head coach of the Indian Cricket Team Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli is unavailable for the opening fixture of the IND vs AFG T20I due to some personal reasons. He will join the squad for the next two matches of the series. The second match of the series is in Indore on Sunday while the third and final match will be played in M. Chinnaswamy Stadium Bengaluru on January 17.
Mohali pitch reports
The first match of IND vs AFG T20I will be played in Mohali. The weather at the PCA IS Bindra Stadium will create a tough challenge for the team that will bowl afterward as the temperature may drop down below 8 degrees Celsius and the venue is known for its record of the chasing team to win the game due to its bating friendly nature. There are no predictions of rain, so no interruption is expected.
Net Sessions ahead of IND vs AFG T20I series
Players of both teams were seen practicing in the nets ahead of the first match. While other players are enjoying the chilly practice sessions with gloves and woolen Caps in the Mohali Camp, the hometown boys Shubman Gill and Arshdeep Singh joked saying “Not that cold for me” and “Feels quite hot” respectively.
The IND vs AFG T20I series will be broadcast by Viacom 18 and the live telecast will be available on Sports 18 HD/SD. The live streaming is available on the JioCinema app for free. The match will begin at 7 pm IST sharp.
IND vs AFG T20I predicted playing XI for the first inning:
India: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dubey, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar
Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Najibullah Zadran, R Shah, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Qais Ahmad.
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