Asian cricket powerhouses, India and Afghanistan, will be seen squaring off in their first-ever bilateral T20I series. The three-match series begins with the first game set to be played at the IS Bindra PCA stadium in Mohali on Thursday, January 11. The second T20I will be played in Indore on January 14, with the third one in Bengaluru to conclude the event.
The two teams have previously faced off in five T20Is, with India winning four of them and one, the gold medal match of the Asian Games, getting rained out. At Mohali, India has played four T20Is, winning three of them.
India will have two of their best T20I batters, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back in action. This match will be their first in the 20-over format after 14 months, and expect to see some fireworks from the duo. Afghanistan will be without Rashid Khan, but expect them to give a tough fight to the Indian team thanks to the talent they possess in their squad.
Here are three player battles to watch out for in the first T20I between India and Afghanistan:
3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep and Gurbaz (Photo Source: Twitter)
Rahmanullah Gurbaz is the premier opener for Afghanistan and is coming off a brilliant outing in the recently concluded series against UAE. He scored 100 in just 52 balls in the first game in Sharjah, and also made 20 and 21 in the next matches. Overall, in 46 T20Is, Gurbaz has 1184 runs with one century and 5 fifties with a strike rate of 137.99. If he gets off to a flier, India will have a lot of catching up to do.
However, India has an ace in their squad, named Arshdeep Singh. The pacer has 59 wickets in just 42 T20Is, with a best of 4/37 and an economy of 8.70. The left-arm pacer is known for swinging the ball both ways, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz has shown weakness against the ball going away from him. This battle between Arshdeep and Gurbaz will be a must-watch.
2. Rohit Sharma vs Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Rohit & Mujeeb (Photo Source: Twitter)
Afghanistan team is known for opening their bowling with spinners and most of the time that spinner is Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Mujeeb has perfected the art of bowling with a new ball and is known for not only spinning the new ball, but also getting to move it in the air as well. He has a good record with 56 wickets in 43 T20Is for Afghanistan, with a best of 5/20 and an economy of 6.28.
However, Mujeeb, if he opens the bowling, will face a quality batter in India skipper Rohit Sharma at the top. Sharma has played 148 T20Is, scoring 3853 runs with 4 centuries and has a strike rate of 139.24. He was going after the bowling in the recent World Cup in powerplay overs, and if he does something similar here, it will be trouble for the opposition. However, Rohit’s troubles against spin recently will make the clash between the two an interesting one.
1. Virat Kohli vs Naveen-Ul-Haq
Virat & Naveen (Photo Source: Twitter)
Probably the biggest player battle in the list is the one between star batter Virat Kohli and young Afghan prodigy Naveen-Ul-Haq. The two might have buried their hatchet from their verbal spat back in May 2024, but the sparks are definitely bound to fly, when they face off in Mohali.
Kohli is currently the only batter on the planet to have more than 4,000 runs in T20Is. Overall, in 115 games, the New Delhi-born has garnered runs at an average of 52.73, striking at 137.96. Last time he faced the Afghans, the 34-year-old made his maiden century in the format, while also reaching the three-figure mark in internationals after almost three years.
Naveen-Ul-Haq, on the contrary, has been performing well with 39 wickets in 30 games. Naveen has the ability to mix the pace, and bowls a lot of cutters, especially during the middle overs. Thus, he might have a good opportunity to get the better of the India batter, which makes their face-off an eagerly-awaited one.