On Thursday, January 11, the Punjab Cricket Association’s IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali will host the opening encounter of the three-match Twenty20 International series between India and Afghanistan. In a recent video, famous cricket guru Aakash Chopra offered his thoughts on the game’s possible dynamics before the match. Aakash Chopra started by outlining the strong team from Afghanistan, pointing out that ace spinner Rashid Khan was still recovering from back surgery. In spite of this loss, Chopra emphasized the team’s strengths, particularly in the batting division.
Afghanistan has a sizable team with them. They are armed to the teeth, from Rahmanullah Gurbaz to Gulbadin Naib. As they bowl well, this team’s batting will be under pressure, “Aakash Chopra stated in his YouTube video.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz is an important member of Afghanistan’s batting lineup, as the former opener for India pointed out.
“If Rahmanullah Gurbaz speaks with the bat during batting, then Rahmanullah will become subhanallah, mashallah. The middle-order hitters will have to help him out. It would be an exciting game to watch if the Afghan hitters score runs.”
Anticipating a possible high-scoring encounter, Aakash Chopra expressed excitement over Najibullah Zadran’s formidable batting. He declared,
“I’ll be focusing on Najibullah Zadran once more because he hits huge sixes.” Their batting power is respectable. Since chasing will be simple, the winner of the toss will choose to bowl first. The match can end in 180–200 runs.”
Chopra, however, advised against adopting unduly aggressive tactics for the team batting first and against aiming for a 200+ total from the very beginning. He reasoned that this kind of strategy might backfire and result in a lesser sum.
Bowler Naveen-ul-Haq is a really good bowler. Aakash Chopra
As he turned his attention to Afghanistan’s bowling capabilities, Chopra noted Rashid Khan’s absence but emphasized the team’s overall power. He stated,
“A really good bowler is Naveen-ul-Haq. The bowling of this team is really not that horrible. T20I bowling from this team is consistently strong. There’s no Rashid Khan. Thus, Noor Ahmad may participate. There are already Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Muhammad Nabi. Playing too many spinners won’t really benefit you because dew may fall.”
Cricket fans should prepare for an intriguing match as India and Afghanistan prepare for a series in which they have never played each other in a bilateral setting.
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