Asia Cup, IND vs AFG: Mohammad Nabi elects to field
After losing back-to-back games, India take on Afghanistan in their final Super Four clash in Asia Cup 2022. The defending champions were eliminated after Pakistan beat Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the Men in Blue would want to finish the tournament on a high. Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi has won the toss and elected field. KL Rahul is leading India in place of Rohit Sharma.
Here are the two teams
India (Playing XI): KL Rahul (captain), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh. Afghanistan (Playing XI): Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Rahul is leading in place of Rohit
India have made three changes to the Playing XI. Yuzvendra Chahal, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya have been rested. Deepak Chahar, Dinesh Karthik, and Axar Patel have replaced the three players. As stated, Rahul is leading India in place of Rohit. Interestingly, India have left out both wrist-spinners - Chahal and Ravi Bishnoi. Ashwin takes charge of India's spin-bowling segment.
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.
The story of the Asia Cup (Super Four)
After gaining qualification from the group stage, Pakistan beat India in their first Super Four match before overcoming Afghanistan. With two wins, they are through to the final alongside Sri Lanka. Both sides will face each other in the final Super Four match on Friday and then clash in the final on Sunday. Afghanistan and India are locking horns in a dead-rubber.
