India are aiming to wrap up the series against Afghanistan in Indore on Sunday, January 14 with the fans anxiously waiting to see the return of one Virat Kohli to T20Is.
The Indian team put on a thorough performance in the first match in chilly conditions in Mohali with Shivam Dube being the star with both bat and ball. Rohit Sharma didn’t have a great return to the T20I side as he was run out for a duck, but apart from that, the hosts weren’t really on the back foot in the chase.
India vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I: Preview
As there are only two more matches left for the team ahead of the T20 World Cup in June this year, India will be looking for another strong performance in Indore to secure another home series in the bag.
India vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I predicted XI
Kohli missed the first match in Mohali due to personal reasons and is now back in contention to be a part of the lineup for the match in Indore. The Indian star is reportedly eager to be part of the squad that will make the trip to the Carribean and the USA for the upcoming ICC event and we can expect him to be back.
With Dube performing well with bat and ball, Tilak Varma could be the one making way to accommodate Kohli in the lineup. The southpaw has been inconsistent in recent times, and has been criticised by pundits for his performances.
Another interesting thing to see would be if India would opt to have Yashasvi Jaiswal back in the lineup. The opener missed the first game due to a groin strain and Shubman Gill was picked for the game in Mohali.
Gill impressed with 23 off 12 balls, but with Dravid backing Jaiswal and Rohit to open, we can expect the southpaw to return.
Another change could come in the spin department, with Kuldeep Yadav possibly being picked ahead of Ravi Bishnoi. The leg-spinner struggled for rhythm in the first match and leaked runs. This could force the team management to give the in-form Kuldeep a chance in the match.
For Afghanistan, they could stick with the same team that played in Mohali and would be hoping their bowling department executes the plans properly.
India predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal/Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Washington SUndar, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav/Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Arshdeep Singh.
Afghanistan predicted XI: Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen Ul Haq.
