The draw for the second round of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Barbados, where India will begin its Super 8s campaign, is ideal, according to Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid. Their group includes Australia, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, so getting to the semifinals should be easy. In the Twenty20 International rankings, several rivals are rated lower than India, including Australia (ranked No. 2). On the table, Bangladesh (ranked No. 9) and Afghanistan (ranked No. 10) are far lower.
India will play Afghanistan at Kensington Oval on Thursday. Afghanistan is recognized for being a formidable opponent, having already upset New Zealand, a side that is well-known for its reliable results in ICC games, in the first round. The Kiwis had not made it out of that attack.
Afghanistan is also more familiar with the environment, having played all of its games in the Caribbean. India, on the other hand, will play their first match in the West Indies tomorrow. Not only can they learn how to handle the strain of T20 cricket, but several of Afghanistan’s players have also refined their abilities in the Indian Premier League.
Afghanistan has shown significant progress in the last few years. Known for their powerful bowling, they can now challenge any assault because of their impressive batting development. Even though they are rated 10th in the world, they are not to be taken lightly since they have a reputation for punching above their weight.
Yet there is some justification for India’s top rating. They have a versatile squad that can play well against any side in any situation. They can bench a batsman of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s calibre. In the ICC rankings, he is ranked seventh, behind only Suryakumar Yadav.
The result will mostly depend on how successfully the Indian hitters handle Afghanistan’s spinners, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, and Mohammed Nabi. The pitch at The Oval in Bridgetown has lately suited batters. For players like Shivam Dube, who is being specially trained for this challenge, the idea of taking them on might be very alluring. To consistently challenge the opponent with a left-right combination—an attribute that past Indian teams lacked—he must step up in the middle order.
It is also anticipated that Virat Kohli will step up. After three poor World Cup performances, many are expecting him to do well. He had not let a single sinew at the nets go unstrained over the last two days. A hungry Kohli is about to deliver a massive blow, and what more could India want from their great opener than a solid start?
