Asia Cup, IND vs AFG: Preview, stats, and Fantasy XI
After losing back-to-back games, India will take on Afghanistan in their final Super Four clash in Asia Cup 2022 on Thursday. The defending champions are on the brink of crashing out of the tournament, having lost to Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Nevertheless, the Men in Blue would want to finish the tournament on a high. Meanwhile, Afghanistan have the required attack to stop India.
Pitch report, timing, and TV listing
The Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host this affair. The wicket here has been favorable for both batters and bowlers. Anything around 160-170 is deemed a challenging total. Notably, India have lost their last two matches defending totals in excess of 170. The match can be watched live on Star Sports Network (7:30 PM IST) and live-streamed on the Hotstar app.
H2H record (T20Is): IND 3-0 AFG
India have won each of the three encounters against Afghanistan in T20 Internationals (2010, 2012, and 2021). India last defeated the Afghans in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The men in Blue won by 66 runs after posting a mammoth 210/2.
Can India still qualify for final?
Can India still qualify for the Asia Cup final? Mathematically, yes! India will stay in contention if Afghanistan beat Pakistan tonight. Furthermore, Sri Lanka would also have to do India a favor by beating Pakistan. In short, if Pakistan win any of their remaining two matches, India will be eliminated. Nevertheless, India would hope to beat Afghanistan by a big margin.
Will India stick with R Ashwin?
India included R Ashwin in place of Ravi Bishnoi against Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma went with the tactical move even though the latter fared well against Pakistan. Injured Avesh Khan made way for Bishnoi in that match. It remains to be seen if India stick with Ashwin. Also, it's a race against time for Rishabh Pant, who has failed to deliver so far.
Afghanistan have a solid XI
Afghanistan have a well-rounded squad as well. Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai are able batters against pace. Najibullah Zadran and Ibrahim Zadran can score runs in short bursts. The former, in particular, could derail Pakistan's momentum. Pakistan would be wary of spinners Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi. Fazalhaq Farooqi's incoming deliveries need to be dealt with care.
Here are the Probable XIs
India (Probable XI): KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh. Afghanistan (Probable XI): Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Samiullah Shinwari, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Rashid Khan eyes history!
Rashid Khan, arguably the greatest leg-spinner in T20 cricket, has an opportunity to enter the record books. He is seven wickets away from becoming the leading wicket-taker in T20I cricket. Rashid, who owns 116 wickets from 69 T20Is, is only behind Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan (122) in terms of T20I wickets. The former will also become the second bowler with over 120 T20I scalps.
A look at the fantasy teams
Fantasy XI (Option 1): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (captain), Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman (vice-captain). Fantasy XI (Option 2): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper, vice-captain), Rohit Sharma (captain) Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Najibullah Zadran, Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman.
