Aakash Chopra believes that if Ibrahim Zadran and company strike early in the innings, the opening Twenty20 international between Afghanistan and India would be a competitive match.
A three-match Twenty20 International series between the Men and the Afghans will begin on Thursday, January 11 in Mohali. Afghanistan selected a 19-man team for the series, but Rashid Khan won’t be playing since he hasn’t recovered from back surgery.
Aakash Chopra on 1st IND vs AFG T20I
According to Chopra, if Afghanistan bats effectively, they could compete with India in a video posted on his YouTube page. He went on to say, “Afghanistan has brought along a sizable team. They have a lot of firepower, from Gulbadin Naib to Rahmanullah Gurbaz. This squad bowls well, thus the onus will be on the batsmen to perform well.”
Additionally, he stated, “Rahmanullah will become Subhanallah, mashallah, if Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s bat talks throughout the batting innings. It will need the middle-order hitters to support him. It’s a fight to see whether the Afghan hitters score runs.”
Chopra mentioned that he was excited to see Najibullah Zadran bat but also mentioned that the game could end with a lot of runs scored. He said,
“I’ll be focusing on Najibullah Zadran once more because he hits huge sixes.” They are not very bad at batting. Since it will be simple to chase, whoever wins the toss will choose to bowl first. The score might range from 180 to 200 runs.”
The side batting first was cautioned by the reputable pundit to avoid going for 200+ right away, arguing that if they attempt to be too aggressive early on, they might not even get 170.
As Aakash Chopra highlighted Afghanistan’s bowling prowess, he speculated that Noor Ahmad may replace Rashid Khan in their starting eleven.
Afghanistan and India have never played one another in a bilateral series. The Men in Blue have prevailed in four of the five Twenty20 Internationals between the two teams; the Asian Games final from the previous year was a draw.
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