Highlight
In their next Super 12 matchup, India will take on Afghanistan.
The ongoing T20 World Cup 2021 has seen no victories for India.
With their batting woes still to be addressed, India will be hoping to win.
Afghanistan faces India in the Super 12 match on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, in a T20 World Cup qualifier.
India will play Afghanistan in the Super 12 match on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium, where they have yet to win a game in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Virat Kohli’s team lost by ten wickets to Pakistan to start the season, and then lost by eight wickets to New Zealand in the second match. Afghanistan, on the other hand, is having a strong tournament, winning both of their last three games. The team led by Mohammad Nabi won their first two games against Scotland and Pakistan, respectively. They defeated Namibia by 62 runs in their most recent match.
India hopes to put their batting and bowling woes behind them against Afghanistan. This is a repeat of the Pakistan series, in which Virat Kohli’s side failed to score runs and take wickets en route. Afghanistan, on the other hand, will put their faith in their spinners and hope to shock India with a victory.
This is a list of five key player battles that could make or break the game:
India’s Rohit Sharma takes on Bangladesh’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the opening match (AFG)
The Indian opener has struggled throughout the tournament and hasn’t been able to get the team going in the powerplay overs. Shaheen Afridi dismissed him for a golden duck in the first over against Pakistan. He could only muster 14 runs off 14 balls as the No. 3 batsman in New Zealand’s defeat before being dismissed by Ish Sodhi. He’ll face a tricky bowler in Mujeeb, who wants to get rid of the swashbuckling batsman. When Rohit is vulnerable, the Afghans will use every tactic at their disposal to take advantage of him.
India’s Virat Kohli takes on Pakistan’s Rashid Khan in the second match of the day (AFG)
The Indian captain, like the rest of his team, has had little luck so far in the tournament. India lost to Pakistan despite Kohli’s half-century. He could only manage nine runs off 17 balls in the defeat to New Zealand and was dismissed by Ish Sodhi. Kohli will have to contend with one of the world’s best T20I bowlers in Rashid Khan. In three games, the Afghan spinner has seven wickets for his team.
Mohammed Nabi (AFR) vs Rishabh Pant (IND) (AFG)
Against New Zealand, Pant struggled mightily, managing just 12 runs off 19 deliveries. Against Pakistan, he did have some solid at-bats. Middle innings could see a big battle, and whoever wins could give their team the advantage.
Jasprit Bumrah (IND) vs Mohammad Shahzad (AFG) in the fourth match (IND)
To get their team off to a good start, Afghan openers Shahzad and Zazai will be tasked. The duo will face off against Jasprit Bumrah, who has been a bright spot for India during their disastrous World Cup campaign. Despite his team’s defeat to New Zealand, the pacer still managed to take two wickets and will look to continue his good work against Afghanistan.
AFG’s Najibullah Zadran faces off against India’s Ravichandran Ashwin (IND)
With 88 runs in three games, Zadran is the leading run-scorer for his team. When he bats at No. 6, he may face off against Ravichandran Ashwin, who has yet to play in the tournament. Instead of Varun Chakravarthy, who has failed to take a single wicket for India, the spinner is expected to be selected for the playing XI.
