IND vs AFG, 2nd T20I: India Opt to Bowl, Virat Kohli Returns; Check Playing XIs

Indore: India registered a comfortable six-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the first T20I of the three-match series in Mohali on Thursday. While Rohit Sharma’s return with the bat was unspectacular, Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s absence due to personal reasons and a groin injury respectively, did not hamper India’s dominant performance.

For Afghanistan, the series got off to a challenging start as Rashid Khan was ruled out due to injury. Despite the setback, Afghanistan remain a formidable T20 team with six IPL-contracted players in the XI.

Kohli is making a comeback in the second T20I in Indore, facing a crucial test against spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi. The match will be crucial for Rohit Sharma as well, as fans anticipate whether he can replicate his ODI powerplay dominance in T20Is.

The inclusion of Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar has strengthened India’s squad, providing six bowling options and extending their batting lineup to No. 8. Dube, vying for a spot in the T20 World Cup squad as Hardik Pandya’s backup, has an opportunity to showcase his skills with a strong IPL season.

Despite batting depth, Afghanistan faces challenges at the top, with an unsuccessful attempt to fit two anchors in their top four. The middle-order resilience of Nabi and Najibullah Zadran salvaged Afghanistan, but posting a bigger total will be crucial for them to challenge India in upcoming matches. Afghanistan’s ability to adapt at the top will be key to their success in the series.

Playing XIs

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

India: Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar