As India prepares to launch its Super 8s campaign in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Barbados, Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid couldn’t have asked for a better draw for the second stage of the competition. With Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Australia in their group, the path to the semifinals should be a straightforward one. These opponents, including Australia (ranked No. 2), are positioned below India in the Twenty20 International rankings. Afghanistan (ranked No. 10) and Bangladesh (ranked No. 9) are significantly lower on the table.
But if only life were that easy.
Afghanistan, India’s opponents at Kensington Oval on Thursday, have a reputation for being giant killers, having defeated New Zealand, a team known for consistently strong performances in ICC competitions, in the first round. The Kiwis have not survived that assault.
Afghanistan also have a better understanding of the conditions, having played all their matches in the Caribbean. In contrast, India will have their first outing in the West Indies tomorrow. Moreover, many of Aghanistan’s players have honed their skills in the IPL, where they have got an insight into India’s batting and bowling apart from handling the inherent pressure in T20 cricket.
“I think the more exposure players have got to the IPL and different franchises where there’s pressure all the time in this format of the game, I think that’ll only do us well and serve us well going forward,” Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott says. The last time the two sides met, Afghanistan had pushed India to a second Super Over in a high-scoring contest in Bengaluru this January.
Afghanistan has demonstrated a noticeable improvement in recent times. Traditionally known for their strong bowling, their batting has also developed remarkably, enabling them to challenge any attack. Despite being ranked No. 10 in the world, they cannot be considered pushovers, as they are known to punch above their weight.
But India’s No. 1 ranking is not without merit. They possess an all-round team capable of handling any team in any condition. They can afford to leave out a batsman of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s ability. He is No. 7 in the ICC rankings, headed by Suryakumar Yadav.
The pitch at The Oval in Bridgetown has recently favored batters, making the outcome heavily dependent on how well the Indian batters combat Afghanistan’s spinners – Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, and Mohammed Nabi. The prospect of facing them could be particularly enticing for players like Shivam Dube, who is being specifically prepared for this challenge. He needs to step up in a middle order, which will constantly challenge the opposition with a left-right combination, an asset previous Indian teams lacked.
Also expected to step up will be Virat Kohli. After three low scores in the World Cup, he is anticipated to deliver. Over the past two days, he did not leave a single sinew unstrained at the nets. A big knock from a hungry Kohli is around the corner and what else would India hope for than a strong start from their star opener?
When: India vs Afghanistan, Super 8, 8:30 PM (June 20), 10:30 AM local time.
Where: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados
What to expect: With the match being a day game, the dew is out of equation which largely nullifies the impact of the toss although the captain calling it right may choose to bowl first. Unlike in the US where the pitches were largely bowler-friendly, strip here should be conducive for batting. A high-scoring game can be expected with the deciding factor being how the Indian batters handle Afghanistan’s spinners. For the record, India have never lost to Afghanistan in their eight meetings in T20Is, winning seven with one no result.
Team Watch
India
The finger spinners are expected to excel on West Indies pitches which means India may consider the same XI that played in New York but the temptation to include Kuldeep Yadav would be irresistible. He may come in for a pacer, Mohammed Siraj.
Tactics & Matchups: Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will look to take on the pacers initially with Shivam Dube unleashed in the middle for the spinners. Meanwhile, the Afghanistan batters have shown a tendency to get out to left-arm orthodox spin. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Karim Janat and Azmatullah Omarzai have together been dismissed by left-arm spinners 13 times in T20Is since January 2022, which brings Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel into the picture.
Probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
Afghanistan
The team does not have much to tinker with although they had lost the last game, against West Indies in St Lucia a couple of days ago. Coach Jonathan Trott hinted at the same team being retained for the game.
Tactics & Matchups:
Rashid Khan has dismissed Rohit Sharma four times in 40 deliveries in T20s and the Afghanistan skipper could look at bringing himself on slightly early in the innings. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya have collectively been dismissed by left-arm pace 31 times in T20Is since January 2022, making Fazalhaq Farooqi key for Afghanistan.
Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Did you know?
– Mohammad Nabi & Ravindra Jadeja are the only survivors from the two teams’ previous meeting in the Caribbean.
– Kohli has been dismissed for a golden duck twice in T20Is and both instances have come this year, one of them, incidentally, was against Afghanistan, in Bengaluru, in January. The other golden duck was recently against the USA.
– Arshdeep and Farooqi are the two leading wicket-takers among left-arm seamers in the Powerplay in T20Is since the start of 2022. In T20 WC 2024, Farooqi has seven wickets in this phase and Arshdeep four.
What they said
They have a pretty good bowling attack. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq swing the ball pretty well. We need to counter their bowling attack. Hopefully we will get a par-for score or chase down whatever target they set – Rahul Dravid on the Afghanistan team
India are a very good side and one of the favourites. Being favourites is obviously a pressure for India. We are not underdogs, are fully prepared and ready for the battle – Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott