Mohali Stadium will host the opening match

2024.01.10

Afghanistan vs India T 20 Series

On Thursday, January 11, India and Afghanistan will play the first game of their three-match Twenty20 International series at the Punjab Cricket Association’s IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. It should be an intriguing contest. The match will feature Ibrahim Zadran in charge of the Afghan team, and the dangerous Indian batter Rohit Sharma guiding the home team.

India will be keen to create an impression on their home ground after a T20I series against South Africa ended in a 1-1 stalemate. India’s chances of winning the series early would depend on Rohit, who is renowned for his prolific hitting and clever leadership.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, come into the match full of confidence following a victorious match in which they defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 2-1 in the Twenty20 International series. With Zadran leading the Afghan team, the group will be hoping to build on its previous achievements and leave his imprint against a strong Indian opposition.

Pitch Report for IS Bindra Stadium

The Punjab Cricket Association‘s IS Bindra Stadium features a well-balanced pitch that offers bowlers and hitters equal opportunity. Batting gets harder and harder as the game goes on, but it also gives bowlers a lot of help during the game. Spinners should take advantage of the ground conditions, especially in the later stages. Given the difficulties presented by the pitch dynamics at this location, captains who win the toss will probably choose to set a target rather than chase it.

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.

Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan.

@charith