Afghanistan takes on India in the second T20I in Indore on Sunday. The match starts at 7 pm IST with Afghanistan trailing in the series. They need to win the second T20I to keep the series alive. Afghanistan is yet to win an international match across formats against India.
Afghanistan posted 158/5 with the bat and their bowlers did not do much to pose problems for the Indian batters. Their openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (23) and Ibrahim Zadran (25) got starts but failed to convert them into big scores.
Heading into the second T20I, a good start from the openers is a must for the visitors. They must set the platform for their middle order to capitalize. The likes of Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran can then come into the game.
Rashid Khan did not play for Afghanistan in the first T20I and the Afghans will miss him for the remaining two T20Is as well. As per reports, he has not recovered yet to come back and play international cricket.
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Recently the Afghanistan Cricket Board decided to not grant NOCs to Naveen-ul Haq, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Fazal Haq Farooqi. According to the ACB, the three players were not keen on signing the central contract. However, they have eased the sanctions with a warning.
Mujeeb had a good game picking up two wickets in the first T20I. Naveen, on the other hand, went for 43 runs and went wicketless. He was the most expensive Afghan bowler in the first T20I. The bowlers too will need to pull up their socks if they are to win the game and take it to the decider.
Afghanistan Playing 11 vs India – 2nd T20I, 2024
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK)
Photo Credit: (Twitter/ACB)
Gurbaz will open the batting, He scored 23 in the first T20I and wasted a good start. He is amongst the best batters on the side and needs to make the opportunity count for his side.
Ibrahim Zadran (C)
Photo Credit: (Twitter)
Ibrahim Zadran will open the batting and lead the side. He scored 26 runs in the first T20I. He and Gurbaz needs to give Afghanistan a good start in the second T20I. His captaincy was ordinary in the first T20I. The skipper has scored 641 runs in 28 T20Is at an average of 26.71 with just three fifties.
Azmatullah Omarzai
Azmatullah Omarzai (Credits:X)
Omarzai will slot in at three. The all-rounder scored 29 crucial runs and picked up 1 for 33 in the match. He was involved in a 68-run stand with Mohammad Nabi in the first T20I.
Rahmat Shah
Photo Credit: (Twitter)
Rahmat Shah batted at four on his T20I debut and scored three of six balls. He is an astute batter with good technique and should get a longer run in the T20I side. He should make his opportunity count in the second T20I.
Mohammad Nabi
Photo Credit: (ICC)
Nabi will bat at five. He scored 42 off 27 balls in the first T20I but was expensive with the ball. He is the most capped player for Afghanistan in ODIs and T20Is having played over 250 games for the country. He has scored close to 8000 international runs and picked up 258 international wickets.
Najibullah Zadran
Najibullah Zadran (Image: Twitter)
The southpaw will bat at six. He generally bats higher in ODI cricket. He scored a handy 19 pff 11 balls in the first T20I. The next T20I will be the 99th for his country and he would want to make a mark.
Karim Janat
Karim Janat (Credits: Twitter)
Karim Janat is the all-rounder batting at six. He scored 9 off 5 balls with two four in the final overs but was not used with the ball. Janat has scored 524 runs in 52 T20Is for Afghanistan.
Gulbadin Naib
Gulbadin Naib (Credits: Twitter)
Naib another all-rounder will bat at seven. He can hit some lusty blows in the death overs and bowls at good speeds. He has played 60 T20Is for Afghanistan picking up 26 wickets and scoring 670 runs.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Photo Credit: (ANI)
Mujeeb took 2/21 with the ball including a maiden in the first t20I. He is the senior spinner in the absence of Rashid Khan and needs to come up with an even better performance in the next two T20Is. The leggie has now picked up 58 wickets from 44 T20Is.
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Photo Credit: (Twitter)
Farooqi will lead the pace attack. he went for 26 off his three overs in the first T20I. He has 30 wickets in 28 T20Is and 38 wickets in 27 ODIs. He will need to come up with a better performance in the second T20I.
Naveen-ul-Haq
Photo Credit: (BCCI)
Naveen concludes the likely playing XI for Afghanistan in the second T20I. He went for 43 runs and remained wicketless in the first T20I. He retired from ODI cricket after the World Cup. Naveen has picked up 39 wickets from 31 T20Is.
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The post Afghanistan Playing 11 vs India – 2nd T20I, 2024 appeared first on CricketAddictor.
Afghanistan takes on India in the second T20I in Indore on Sunday. The match starts at 7 pm IST with Afghanistan trailing in the series. They need to win the second T20I to keep the series alive. Afghanistan is yet to win an international match across formats against India. Afghanistan posted 158/5 with the bat
The post Afghanistan Playing 11 vs India – 2nd T20I, 2024 appeared first on CricketAddictor.
