With only three T20Is to go before India play their opening T20 World Cup match against Ireland, the hosts will look to make the most of these three games against Afghanistan. The first T20I between these two teams will be played in chilling cold weather at Mohali on Thursday.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have made a return to the squad but the latter will miss the opening game due to personal reasons. India’s head coach Rahul Dravid, who is celebrating his 51st birthday on Thursday, revealed that Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the innings for the team.
With Kohli not been there, Shubman Gill can get the opportunity at number three. Meanwhile, all eyes will be on Rohit Sharma, who will make a return to the T20I team after a long hiatus of 14 months. Rohit will look to lead from the front and in all likelihood he is also going to lead in the T20 World Cup.
But, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are not yet included in the T20I squad. However, the series will be another opportunity for batters like Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh and Tilak Varma to make a strong case for their selection.
On the other hand, Rashid Khan has been ruled out as he is still recovering after undergoing back surgery. Ergo, the onus will be on Mujeeb ur Rahman, who will look to deliver the goods for the visitors.
Afghanistan will have to come up with a collective effort against the potent Indian team.
Match Prediction: India will certainly enter the contest as red-hot favorites against Afghanistan.
Afghanistan Squad: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran(c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Qais Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Karim Janat, Ikram Alikhil, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Rahmat Shah, Gulbadin Naib.
India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson(w), Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi.
