“Tired! KL Rahul said the day after India’s disastrous World Cup debut, “I won’t lie. The keeper-bat was recalling incidents from their backs-to-the-wall rescue act against Australia while conversing with Virat Kohli informally for bcci.tv. In a 10-team round-robin league phase, there is only so much time for contemplation, and 24 hours later, India finds themselves on the other side of the Vindhyas, getting ready to build on the positive momentum of a tough victory.
Between the difficult start in Chennai and the emotionally charged weekend lying on the other side, Afghanistan would appear to be just the kind of temperate re-centering that Rohit Sharma will seek for his team. This is not a criticism of Hashmatullah Shahidi’s troops or a claim that they are powerless to overthrow the existing order. The fact that this game is worth exactly the same number of points as the one before it and the one after it is more significant.
Afghanistan are not a squad to be taken lightly, even in the lengthier 50-over format, which can widen the gap between two sides with different talent pools and give enough time for the cream to eventually come to the top. They were able to enter the competition without the requirement for a qualifying round, they defeated India in a bilateral series in Bangladesh, which they had previously lost on both of their previous visits, and they came close to unseating Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup Super Four with a proper knowledge of the NRR regulations.
However, they haven’t performed the same in major tournament action. It didn’t help that their first two ODI World Cups took place in countries with weather that wasn’t ideal for their spin-centric approach, like Australia and England. However, Hashmatullah Shahidi is likely to have looked favorably upon this match in Delhi when the tournament’s schedule was being put together since it may be Afghanistan’s long-overdue World Cup key moment.
It might also have a poetic parallel. In their third tournament, India defeated the dominant force of the time to win their second World Cup match, and they haven’t looked back since. Afghanistan may perhaps be a little ahead of the curve in that regard. In Southampton four years ago, they came dangerously near to stumbling India on a slow wicket. However, they’ll need to produce something considerably superior to the opening act they delivered up last week if they want to put a stop to their World Cup shortcomings and improve this time around.
When: Sunday, October 11, 2023, 14:00 IST, India vs. Afghanistan
Location:Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi
What to anticipate: A warm day in the capital with favorable batting conditions. Delhi’s re-laid ground has a liberal scattering of grass. The pitch that saw a combined total of 754 runs, the fastest World Cup 100 and the greatest total in men’s ODI World Cup history, appears to be very similar, even if it is not the same strip. Since 2013, teams batting first have prevailed in five of the previous six ODIs played here. The pursuit of a par total, however, shouldn’t be too challenging.
a team watch
India
Mohammed Shami, who scored a hat-trick in this match four years ago, is a possibility on this surface, but India would have to be willing to give up some of their batting depth after a lackluster start against Australia in order to select him. In that case, they might think about using Shardul Thakur, who had a lengthy net session the day before the game with both the ball and the bat. Since being hospitalized, Shubman Gill is still not available.
Strategies & Tactics:
India may choose to target the quick bowlers in light of Afghanistan’s better spin assault. Ishan Kishan will be expected to contribute due to the uncertainty surrounding Gill.
Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin/Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj make up the probable starting lineup.
Afghanistan
Despite losing their opening match, Afghanistan wouldn’t want to change their lineup just yet, even if a left-arm wrist spinner with experience like Noor Ahmad gives strong value against a lineup that is primarily right-heavy.
Strategies & Tactics:
Since the beginning of 2022, Fazalhaq Farooqi has taken 19 wickets in the PowerPlay, which places him third behind Matt Henry (20) and Mohammed Siraj (32). His left-arm angle against a high order that has previously struggled with it could be helpful in laying the groundwork for Afghanistan to put India under pressure.
Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi make up the probable XI. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are the other
Did you realize?
– In the first six World Cup games, left-arm finger spinners have taken 21 wickets at a rate of 26.52.
Bumrah has not lost a wicket since making his recovery, and in the six ODIs he has played, he has allowed runs at an average of 4.89 per over.
– Jadeja has taken the most wickets for India in ODI matches against Afghanistan (7 at 10.85) and at Delhi (9 at 20.77).
They stated:
“You know, during net sessions, we play better spin. We play Rashid, Nabi, Noor, and Mujeeb every day. So, in my opinion, our squad is far more skilled at playing spin bowling. We battled in that game [against Bangladesh], but you can’t conclude from one game that you aren’t good enough. Hashmatullah Shahidi on facing a spin attack that was even more effective than Bangladesh’s, against which they lost 6 for 62.
“No, not right now because Shreyas [Iyer] has performed admirably for us at number 4 and he [KL Rahul] is doing so well at number 5. There are thus no temptations at all. – Vikram Rathour on whether it was thought about moving Rahul up to No.4
