Afghanistan will look for a comeback when they meet India in the second T20I of the three-match series in Delhi India put in an emphatic win in the first match and will go into the contest full of confidence, while Afghanistan needed to up their game massively to ensure that they stay alive in the series.
Having already endured a rough tour of India, where they lost the one-off Test and three-match ODI series heavily, the visitors won’t be eager to reopen old wounds. This challenge has only gotten harder for them in the T20 format after India chased down Afghanistan’s 156-run target with consummate ease in their opening match.
With batting-friendly conditions in Delhi, readings are better for India again. It is going to be a venue that usually provides numerous scoring prospects, with short boundaries making it difficult for bowlers to contain belligerent batting. This reversal by opposing spinners is largely a reflection of Afghanistan’s batters facing slower, lower-scoring surfaces being used that day – while it is where their spin-dominating attack tends to feast, the batsmen may have needed to raise their scoring rates here opposed to being able.
With Gurbaz being one of the key players, his role at the top could prove massive. Sri Lanka’s innings got off to a horrible start when Gurbaz fell for with the bat in the first match of the day. He is back to lead the charge as Afghanistan’s foremost specialist batter — expect him to attack early.
As for India, their returning stars have provided some exciting moments. Gurbaz barely had time to settle before Jasprit Bumrah struck, the returning star on hand to redirect a thick edge into Rishabh Pant’s hands and deliver India its first wicket of the night with just his fourth delivery of use. While Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy also played a major role, Varun will however miss the upcoming matches due to injury.
If Varun is not available, Ravi Bishnoi could come into the XI for India. The opening combination is subject to some newspaper selection achingly interesting. An expectant place on the bench is with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was a star performer in his previous international outings. He will wait behind Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson
Afghanistan might not change too many, although Naveen-ul-Haq is available after injury.
This makes the second T20I an important test for Afghanistan to take on India, while the hosts hope to continue their winning streak and grab a 2-0 lead over the visitors in the series.
Read more: India Opt to Bowl Against Afghanistan, Sooryavanshi Misses Out
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