Today, when India faces Afghanistan in their opening super 8 match of the T20 World Cup, all eyes will be on Virat Kohli who wants to come back in form after a lean patch and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav who hopes for an opportunity.
The composition of the Indian team is the main point of discussion before the game. According to PTI, India must make a decision whether to retain the same line-up that worked well for them during the group stage or bring back their number one spinner from last year, Kuldeep Yadav possibly at cost of a fast bowler.
At the start of the tournament, captain Rohit Sharma expressed his desire to play all four all-rounders—Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.
This is what has worked in New York’s bowling friendly conditions which Rohit is expected to carry with him as they extend their batting side up to number eight.
If this takes place then either Mohammed Siraj or Arshdeep Singh would have to give way for Kuldeep; although it’s likely that Siraj will be benched.
Recent practice sessions imply that spinners may get some assistance from the pitch thus strengthening Kuldeep’s case. Additionally a light Kensington Oval wind could aid pacemen making it slightly easier to swing during powerplay overs.
The attention will be on Kohli who has not hit double figures in this tournament yet. Though his aggressive style did not work out in New York but he would do better under better wickets in Caribbean. At 35 years old Kohli is known for his high intensity and dedication both on and off field especially at training sessions.
Afghanistan made it through to Super 8s following a heavy defeat by West Indies at St Lucia. However, their previously lethal bowling attack was demolished by West Indies’ formidable batting lineup.
The loss was brushed aside as just a small setback by captain Rashid Khan, who said that this does not mean Afghanistan are out of the competition.
“This loss doesn’t affect us and the morale is still pretty high. As a bowler, you need to come up with plans to keep the scoring to under 10. We have achieved our first goal of reaching the Super 8s and now it is about taking the next step,” said Rashid.
Rashid will rely heavily on left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi, who has been prolific in the powerplay and is the tournament’s leading wicket taker having picked up 12 wickets so far. The ability to swing it back in will be a big ask for Rohit and Kohli as Farooqi can do just that.
While his squad bowls through middle overs, Rashid himself will try to achieve wickets but at a low economy rate.
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan ©Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Hazratullah Zazai, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Mohammad Ishaq, Nangeyalia Kharote
Match starts at 8pm (IST)
