Having crossed the group stage hurdles without stumbling, India take on a dangerous Afghanistan side in their first Super 8 match of T20 World Cup 2024 in Bridgetown, Barbados on Thursday, June 20. The Kensington Oval will host the much-anticipated clash between the former champions and the dark horses. India will be looking to ace the first of the three-round Super 8, but it's not going to be straightforward for Rohit Sharma's men.
Afghanistan have never beaten India and they have headed to the Super 8 after a crushing defeat to the West Indies. However, India know that Rashid Khan's men have it in them to beat any side on their day. Afghanistan played all their group stage matches in the Caribbean, while India are heading to the islands for the first time after having played their games in the USA. India played 3 games on the New York pitch, which was heavily titled toward the pace bowlers. Their last group-stage game against Canada was washed out due to rain in Florida.
India need to be at their best from the word go and they don't have the luxury of warming up to the conditions in the Caribbean. The Asian giants have had as many as three full-strength training sessions at the Kensington Oval in the lead-up to Thursday's game.
India also have the experience to handle the tryst with unfamiliarity, both in their batting and bowling departments. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be key to India's chances not only in the game against Afghanistan but through the Super 8 stage as the Men in Blue will be playing in three different venues in six days. Yes, Virat Kohli may not have troubled the scores much in the New York leg, but his experience of thriving under pressure on the big stages will come in handy for India.
In Afghanistan's corner, there is Fazalhaq Farooqi, who is in the form of his life. The left-arm pacer has taken 12 wickets in four matches while conceding at less than 6 runs per over. Farooqi's burst with the new ball might be defining as Afghanistan would love to see the back of Rohit or Kohli or both of them. Both Rohit and Kohli have had their problems against left-arm pacers, and it was exposed by USA's Saurabh Netravalkar a week ago in New York.
The four completed group stage matches in Barbados have hinted that going big with the bat in the powerplay is the best route to take to make up for the potential dip in scoring rate when the spinners operate in the middle overs. At the same time, India should be careful not to play into the hands of Rashid Khan, who will be keen on bowling to the middle-order after a top-order wobble.
Despite the threat that Afghanistan pose with the ball, India seem to have the firepower and flexibility in their batting to come up trumps. Rishabh Pant, at No. 3, and Suryakumar Yadav, at No. 4, need to be ready to mix caution with aggression if things don't work out well at the top. Both Pant and Suryakumar are confident after having played match-winning knocks in New York. India's spin-destroyer Shivam Dube needs to come to the party and repay the trust shown in him by the team management.
On the other hand, Afghanistan will feel the heat when their batters are up against a fit and firing Indian bowling unit. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh's burst in the powerplay might just prove to be too hot to handle for the Rahmanullah Gurbaz-led batting unit. The accuracy of the Indian spinners will trouble the Afghan batters.
India have beaten Afghanistan 7 times in 8 meetings without facing a defeat. The two teams last meet in a 3-match series in India in January and India clean swept 3-0. However, they were made to work hard in two Super Overs in the final game in Bengaluru. India have a 3-0 record against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cups.
The pitch in Barbados has been one of the better friends of the batters among all the venues so far in the T20 World Cup. Australia posted in excess of 200 against England. However, expect spinners to have a say in the middle overs in the day game. Dew is not going to be an issue in the game that gets underway at 10:30 am local time (8 pm IST).
The weather forecast is good enough to permit a full 40-over game on Thursday in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Afghanistan will miss Mujeeb Ur Rahman's services as the mystery spinner was ruled out with an injury in the group stage. However, they have the wrist-spin duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
On the other hand, India might bring in an extra spinner in Kuldeep Yadav in place of a pacer -- likely Mohammed Siraj. Shivam Dube might retain his place in the XI despite not having been in a good rhythm in the tournament.
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (captain), Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
IND v AFG, Super 8: Who will win Today's World Cup match on June 20?
Afghanistan are threatening to cause a few upsets in the Super 8, but India are unlikely to be one of ther victims. Rohit Sharma and his men might clinch a dominant win on Thursday in Barbados.
"Here it might be different obviously without giving too much away certainly it might be slightly different here we might need feel the need that we might need an extra spinner and then certainly someone like Kuldeep or Yuzi with their quality and their skill do come into play and do become really big factors for us and that is the thinking in which why they have been selected because we knew that conditions could be potentially different in each of the different islands or each of the different countries." Rahul Dravid hinted the possibility of India playing an extra spinner in the Super 8.
"No, I think day games actually suit us better. So, quite excited to play India in a day game. Obviously, they're a very, very good side in the day. Obviously one of the favourites and with being favourites obviously has added pressure for India and hopefully we can come in obviously perceived as underdogs but in my mind very much not underdogs and fully prepared and ready for the battle that confronts us tomorrow which I'm very excited about." - Jonathan Trott said a day game suits Afghanistan better.
