We are all set for India’s third game in the T20 World Cup 2021. Team India is taking on Afghanistan in this match. Abu Dhabi is hosting the game, which is a crucial one for Virat Kohli and men. They need to win it to stay alive in the semis race. Meanwhile, Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bowl first.
This is the third time Virat lost the toss and was asked to bat first. Indian batters had put on a dismal performance in the first two games. It has to be seen if they can turn the momentum in this game. Surya Kumar Yadav, who missed the last match due to a back spasm, is back on the side. So, Ishan Kishan had to be left out. On the flip side, Ravichandran Ashwin has replaced Varun Chakravarthy, who apparently had a niggle. These are the two changes made by team India.
On the flip side, Afghanistan is in a better position, compared to India. They won two of their three games, that too with a big margin. Thus, their net run rate is high. So, India needs to beat Afghanistan by a big margin so that the latter’s net run-rate gets affected. Afghanistan playing the same side from the last game. Captain Mohammed Nabi said that there will be dew in the second half of the game and that is the reason why they want to bowl first.
Here are the playing XI of both teams:
India (Playing XI): KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Surya Kumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad(w), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi(c), Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan