T20 WC: India to take on Afghanistan in Super 8 Clash at Bridgetown in Barbados
India and Afghanistan will begin their ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 campaign (Group 1) in a mega encounter. The match will be played at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown in Barbados at 8 PM IST.
England and West Indies will face each other to get their Super 8 campaign off the mark in Group 2 at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia at 6 AM IST.
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.
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?
Squads:
India Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal
Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Mohammad Ishaq, Nangeyalia Kharote, Hazratullah Zazai
