India Aims for Strong Start Against Afghanistan

The T20 World Cup 2024 will also continue in Barbados and India is all set to take on Afghanistan in the thrilling that too in their first match of the Super Eight on 20th June. 

Having topped their group with an unbeaten record, Team India would be eyeing to carry forward their winning form against a determined Afghanistani side in the match to be held at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown.

Indian Openers Seek Redemption

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s Form in T20 World Cup 2024 IND vs AFG

Apart from the hosts, some of the key players have a lot on their line: openers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed in USA leg. 

These are star batsmen under immense pressure and even though, it has not been easy to play in New York where seam bowlers ruled the roost, fans expect big things from them. 

While Rohit scored a fifty with a bat, Kohli seemed to be facing a dry spell as he was dismissed for a duck in the previous three innings. 

But, batting coach Vikram Rathour stood firm on his belief that Kohli will be back on the cricket ground with his best performance, especially with recent performance IPL.

Rohit Sharma and Kohli also eventually had some optional practice with their batting in the nets against left-arm bowlers Noor Ahmad and Fazalhaq Farooqi. 

To prepare themselves for the upcoming match they faced deliveries from Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh to cut-short with their preparations on spin and pace bowlers.

Preparation and Strategy for T20 World Cup 2024 IND vs AFG

Intense Practice Sessions and Focus on Spin

The last one of interest relates to the Indian team and more specifically, the playing eleven. 

One of the main strengths in this Indian bowling line-up was Kuldeep Yadav, who was arguably India’s most effective spinner of the past year, there seems to be a good argument for his inclusion, possibly even at the expense of a pure fast bowler. 

If Kuldeep plays, the inclusion candidate like Mohammed Siraj or Arshdeep Singh may sit out on the bench, and the latter has lesser chances of playing.

Squad Selection Dilemma

Kuldeep Yadav’s Prospects in T20 World Cup 2024 IND vs AFG

The main factor for India is choosing their side as to which players they are going to take into the field. 

There is a good reason to go with Kuldeep Yadav, who has been India’s best spinner over the past year, which might make one think about choosing him ahead of a pure bowler. 

If Kuldeep plays, there will be possible sacrifices for Mohammed Siraj or Arshdeep Singh, where Siraj seems to be the most likely candidate for axing.

Afghanistan’s Resilience

Afghanistan’s Journey in T20 World Cup 2024

Afghanistan has used their power and successfully outplay New Zealand while on the other side they have suffered a much big loss against West Indies.

Afghanistan is not an inexperienced team, they love competition and more importantly have a competitive journey and they will be keen on asserting their dominance over India through a strong bowling line up they also possess a powerful batting order.

Pitch and Weather Report

Conditions at Kensington Oval for T20 World Cup 2024 IND vs AFG

Conditions to prefer playing with the bat in Barbados over New York will be safer because conditions in the latter is expected be worse than in the former.

Looking at the statistics of all the games, played on the Kensington Oval this ground has been observed to favour fast bowlers and hence we could possibly see rapid bowlers featuring in the next game.

For more, this can beneficial to spinners to bowl faster deliveries, in batting, big hitters in addition to overall other players who feel comfortable against spin bowler or any type of pitches.

T20 World Cup 2024 IND vs AFG: Weather Report

According to weather. , which is approximately 1700 miles away from the equator and clouds are expected over Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados but should not expect too much rain. 

This is some light that many teams and their fans can bare with to look at. The match will be played in the early morning Barbados time, which means that the temperature is going to be moderate and steadily high, ranging from 27/31 Celsius. Withal, India’s the last match against Canada got washed by rain, a completely rainless game today is quite expected.

India vs Afghanistan Head-to-Head

T20 World Cup 2024 IND vs AFG Historical Performance

The Indian has not lost a single T20I match against Afghanistan and has won three out of the three T20 World Cup games played so far. 

Still, the assumption of continued dominance is boosted by this history making, to the anticipation of continued domination in the subsequent match.

Squads for T20 World Cup 2024 IND vs AFG

Team Lineups

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

Afghanistan: 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, Hazratullah Zazai, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Mohammad Ishaq, Nangeyalia Kharote.

Match Details

T20 World Cup 2024 IND vs AFG Timing and Broadcast

• Match Timing: The highly anticipated clash is scheduled for 08:00 PM IST, with the toss taking place at 07:30 PM.
• Live Telecast: Star Sports Network.
• Live Streaming: Disney Plus Hotstar.

Conclusion: India vs Afghanistan T20 World Cup 2024 Showdown

India set to face Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eight stage, the Men in Blue have all the fans pinned to their seats, whether they can maintain their unbeaten stretch or not. 

This match should prove to be an interesting one because specific convenors are looking to coming back to their best and changes in formation. Animosity is expected by the fans as the team works to beat its opponent to victory.

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