T20 WC, India vs Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi elects to field
What's the story
India and Afghanistan are squaring off the in the much-awaited Super 12 clash of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi is hosting the evening encounter. India require a massive win over Afghanistan in order to stay alive in the tournament. The news from the center is that Mohammad Nabi has won the toss and elected to field.
Details
Key details about the match
The match being held at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. It will begin at 7:30 PM IST. Six of the eight games on this venue have been won by the teams batting second (T20 WC). The surface here usually has pace on offer. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on Disney+ Hotstar.
Qualification
India need to beat Afghanistan by a huge margin
India are in a spot of bother after losing two consecutive games. Another defeat will confirm their early exit from the tournament. India will have to claim a huge victory against Afghanistan to improve their Net Run Rate. Team India will then hope that Afghanistan beat New Zealand. If all three teams claim six points, the qualification will depend upon NRR.
Do you know?
Indian batters have struggled against spinners
As per Cricbuzz, the Indian batters have hit only three boundaries in 16 overs of spin in the ongoing tournament. India have scored at a rate of 4.75 against spin. They will face Rashid Khan tonight, who is the best in the business.
Teams
Here are the two teams
India (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (captain), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah. Afghanistan (Playing XI): Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wicket-keeper), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan.
Changes
Ashwin to play his first T20I in over four years
Indian skipper Virat Kohli has made two changes in the XI. Senior off-spinner R Ashwin has replaced Varun Chakravarthy, who is sitting out with a niggle. Notably, Ashwin is set to play his first T20I in over four years. He last played a white-ball game on July 9, 2017 (vs West Indies). Meanwhile, middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav returns to the side.