Top five key battles to watch out for in AFG vs IND match No. 43 in ICC T20 World Cup 2024

The AFG vs IND clash in Super 8 at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 will take place on Thursday in Barbados.

The Super 8 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 got underway with USA vs SA clash on 19 June. Some big matches are scheduled to take place in the coming days. India will play their first fixture against Afghanistan on June 20 (Thursday) at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados. India have not lost a game yet in this tournament.

They have the winning momentum, while Afghanistan have also played good matches but lost their last group match against the co-hosts the West Indies. This match will host an electric face-off between India’s batting unit and Afghanistan’s bowling unit, which will spice up this contest. Whoever wins will have an edge in the semi-final race.

AFG vs IND: Head-to-Head

The head-to-head contest between the two teams has been dominated by India. They have beaten Afghanistan in seven out of 8 matches played between the two teams, while one game was rained out.

AFG vs IND: Top five player battles to watch out for

1. Rohit Sharma vs Fazalhaq Farooqi

The Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who has good numbers against Afghanistan in T20Is, will be a big wicket in this game. Interestingly, Rohit has hit a century each in his last T20I and ODI against Afghanistan. With good batting conditions, Rohit might look to go hard in the powerplay. But one bowler who can trouble him will be Fazalhaq Farooqi. Rohit has poor record against left-arm pacers, and Farooqi is in red-hot form and is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. He also dismissed Rohit for duck the in last match he bowled to him.

2. Virat Kohli vs Rashid Khan

Virat Kohli has struggled so far in the ongoing tournament and has scored five runs in three innings. But it doesn’t mean that he will fail yet again. The conditions will be good here, and Virat will look to have some runs. But he will have to face Rashid Khan. Hence, we might see the battle of two superstars. In the IPL, he has dismissed Virat two times in 69 balls. But in T20Is, he is yet to dismiss him. But he will look to do so on Thursday, and this battle will be very important for this match.

3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs Jasprit Bumrah

Rahmanullah Gurbaz has scored most runs in the ongoing tournament. The Afghan opener has been in tremendous form, and he is making sure that his team gets a good start in the powerplay. And to beat a team like India, you need a good start. So we might see Gurbaz playing his natural game. But he will be up against India’s best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, who is at the top of his game. Bumrah has bowled 12 balls to Gurbaz and given away only 4 runs, which shows how cautious Gurbaz has been playing against him. So these two will be looking to get the better of each other.

4. Ibrahim Zadran vs Arshdeep Singh

Ibrahim Zadran is another Afghan batter who is very consistent and likes to take on the opposition. He has improved his power hitting and added some shots to his batting. That’s where it becomes important to get him out. India will rely on Arshdeep Singh for early breakthroughs. The left-arm pacer has been in good form, and with seven wickets, he has taken most wickets for India at the ongoing event. So Zadran vs Arshdeep will be a good battle in the AFG vs IND clash, especially in the powerplay.

5. Hardik Pandya vs Azmatullah Omarzai

Hardik Pandya will be a key player for India in this game. He is in good form; he has played with Afghan players, so he knows about their game as well, and he can contribute in both departments. That’s why he will be a key player for the Men in Blue, but he will be against another genuine all-rounder, Azmatullah Omarzai, who has been doing well for Afghanistan. He brings a similar skillset like that of Hardik. So these two will be up against each other in both innings, which will make this battle very interesting.

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