T20 WC, IND vs AFG Highlights: India wins by 66 runs, stays in semis race

India would now hope that Afghanistan can recover from this drubbing and upset New Zealand, giving Virat Kohli's men an outside chance to qualify for the semi-finals

6:39 PM

Toss Alert

Toss at 7:00 pm, stay tuned!

6:20 PM

Fairytale of Afghanistan cricket is achieving success with few resources: Klusener

Afghanistan head coach Lance Klusener has said that it is amazing to see his side achieving success with not too many resources at their disposal.

 

Afghanistan has so far won two matches out of three in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup and the side will next square off against India in the competition on Wednesday evening.

 

"The reality is that we're still growing and still have a long way to go. However, the fairy tale of Afghanistan cricket for me has been what they've been able to achieve with relatively few resources - that has been outstanding. And as I said, achieving that and still being humble people, the future is bright," ESPNcricinfo quoted Klusener as saying.

 

"Just their passion for the game, their willingness to learn and their willingness to become better. That's just amazing - how hard they work. So I'm not really surprised that they are achieving what they have done in a short time. Just extremely proud," he added.

6:04 PM

Sharafuddin approved as replacement for retired Asghar in Afghanistan squad

All-rounder Sharafuddin Ashraf has been approved as a replacement for retired Asghar Afghan in Afghanistan's Twenty 20 World Cup squad, the tournament's Event Technical Committee said on Tuesday.

 

The 26-year-old Ashraf has played 26 international matches, including nine T20Is.

 

"The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 approved the replacement of Afghan following concerns over the veteran's mental well-being," the ICC said in a statement.

 

"Ashraf was a reserve as per the allowance for teams to travel with extra players in view of Covid-19 quarantine requirements," it added.

 

A bowling all-rounder, Sharafuddin has claimed five wickets thus far in his T20I career, claiming figures of 3/27 on debut in the format, back in 2015 against the Netherlands. He last featured for the Afghanistan T20I side in March, against Zimbabwe in Abu Dhabi.

6:03 PM

Afghanistan can win against India if we post a good total: Hassan

Eyeing a semifinals spot on the back of an excellent run, Afghanistan will fancy their chances against a struggling India in the T20 World Cup here on Wednesday, says its senior pacer Hamid Hassan.

 

Currently, Afghanistan are in the second spot in Group 2 with four points, while India are staring at a league stage exit following back-to-back losses.

 

According to Hassan, the most important thing will be to put up a good total if they win the toss.

 

"We have a good opportunity against India. If we put up good runs on the board, we can defeat them by bowling and fielding (well)," said Hassan on Tuesday.

 

The right-arm pacer, who has so far played 23 T20Is, was asked how big is this an opportunity for him to get early breakthroughs against a struggling Indian top-order.

 

"It (will) depend on the wicket, how it behaves; we will see how it goes and work on our plans, what we have got and we will see. You cannot say anything before the game. But we will try our best to give our 100 percent in the game, be it spinners or fast bowlers."

 

He also said while the side focuses on taking it one game at a time, it's aim is to make the semi-finals.

 

"Honestly, we are focusing on the game one by one (each game). But the plan is to qualify for the semi-finals."

5:30 PM

IND vs AFG playing 11 prediction

 

India playing 11

 

Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Ishan Kishan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy

 

Afghanistan playing 11 

 

Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hashmatullah Shahidi/Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

5:27 PM

IND vs AFG head to head records

Total matches played: 2

India won: 2

Afghanistan won: 0

4:52 PM

Squads;

 

 

India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravichandran Ashwin

 

Afghanistan: Mohammed Nabi (captain), Hazratullah Zazai, Ahmed Shahzad, Gulbadin Naib, Naveen ul Haq, Rashid Kham, Hamid Hasan, Rahamnaullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Fareed Ahmed, Usman Ghani.

4:31 PM

Preview

After losing two consecutive matches, Indian cricket team will look to register their first win and bring their struggling campaign back on track when they face a confident Afghanistan in a super 12 clash of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, here on Wednesday.

 

The Virat Kohli-led India have suffered crushing defeats against Pakistan and New Zealand in their last two matches while Afghanistan won their two games against Scotland and Namibia but they lost to Pakistan.

 

In their last against Kiwis, India shuffled the batting order as Ishan Kishan, who replaced the injured Suryakumar Yadav, opened the batting alongside KL Rahul. However, the move to push Ishan at the top and demote regular opener Rohit Shrama at No 3 didn't produce great results for India.

 

Many former cricketers and experts have criticised the team management for demoting Rohit and it remains to be seen whether the star opener will bat at his regular position in the upcoming match or not.

 

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya, too, hasn't impressed anyone with his performance and Suryakumar Yadav could take his place in the side for the Afghanistan clash if he becomes fit and available for the selection. Team can also look towards the inclusion of ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the team in place of Varun Chakravarthy, who has failed to deliver under pressure.

 

On the other hand, Afghanistan has played impressive attacking cricket so far in the tournament and they are high on confidence. The likes of Mohammed Nabi and Rashid Khan will look to use their all T20 experience to challenge an under-confident Indian side.

 

Young spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman missed the last encounter against Namibia because of his injury and Hamid Hassan, who replaced him, picked up three wickets for just nine runs in four overs. However, Mujeeb is likely to find a place in the Afghanistan's playing XI considering Indian batters struggle against spinners in the last two games.

 

The likes of Hazratullah Zazai, Ahmed Shahzad, Gulbadin Naib will be also keen to continue their entertaining performances with the bat.

 

After losing two consecutive games, India's fate is not in their own hands and another defeat will confirm their early exit from the T20 World Cup. They will have to win their remaining matches by big margins to ensure their net run rate can be improved and they stand a chance at qualifying.