Afghanistan and India will play the first T20I of a three-match series on Thursday, January 11. Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali will host the contest. India, having recently completed a challenging tour in South Africa, will look to continue their momentum in the upcoming series. This is also India’s last T20I assignment before the T20 World Cup gets underway.
The Indian team will be missing key players Surya Kumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Ruturaj Gaikwad due to injuries. Despite that, they boast a formidable side which looks much stronger than the team composition of Afghanistan. Veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are making their comeback to the T20 line-up. All-rounders Axar Patel, Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar add a lot of balance to the team. The formidable spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi, and the pace trio of Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan, is likely to pose challenges for the Afghan batsmen.
While the Afghan squad isn’t as strong as that of India, it isn’t weak either. They have some match-winners who can pull an upset over India. They will miss their star player Rashid Khan due to injury, but have other players to rely upon. The likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Nabi, Ibrahim Zadran, Noor Ahmed and Azmatullah Omarzai can deliver the goods against India.
Ahead of the first T20I in Mohali, here is everything you need to know.
India vs Afghanistan Injury Update
India will be without Surya Kumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Ruturaj Gaikwad due to injuries. Afghanistan, meanwhile, will be without their most valuable player, Rashid Khan.
India vs Afghanistan Predicted XI
India: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Sanju Samson (Wk), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (C), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmat Shah, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Qais Ahmad, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
India vs Afghanistan Match Details
Match: India vs Afghanistan
Date & Time: January 11, 7.00 PM IST
Venue: IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali
India vs Afghanistan Fantasy Team
Wicketkeepers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Batters: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Ibrahim Zadran
All-rounders: Mohammad Nabi, Axar Patel, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat
Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh
Captain: Shubman Gill
Vice-captain: Arshdeep Singh
India vs Afghanistan: Mohali Weather and Pitch Report
The Mohali pitch is a batting paradise. The pacers will also get some help at this venue, but the batsmen are likely to dominate the proceedings. Anything above 185 is a competitive total here.
The weather in Mohali will be cold with a minimum temperature of 14 degrees Celsius.
India vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I Broadcast details
The match between India and Afghanistan will be live on the Star Sports network as far as TV is concerned.
India vs Afghanistan Live Streaming
Disney + Hotstar has picked up the streaming rights of the India vs Afghanistan match. The toss will take place at 6.30 PM IST.
India vs Afghanistan T20I matches Head-to-Head
| Matches Played | 5 |
| Matches won by India | 4 |
| Matches won by Afghanistan | 0 |
| No Result | 1 |
| Matches Tied | 0 |
India vs Afghanistan match prediction
Afghanistan might be the least favourites to win this game, but they aren’t a team that can be taken too lightly. However, without an injured Rashid Khan, their chances of beating an experienced Indian team look small.
