India’s T20 WC preparation begins with series against Afghans in chilly weather

Tribune News Service

Deepankar Sharda

Mohali, January 10

With a cold wave sweeping the northern states, the opening game of the first bilateral three-match T20I series between India and Afghanistan is expected to provide the fireworks for the spectators here tomorrow.

Due to the cold weather conditions, heavy dew is expected at IS Bindra PCA Stadium. It could make life difficult for the bowlers, resulting in a big-scoring game. “The dew factor will be for both the teams,” India coach Rahul Dravid said. “Usually, it affects the team bowling in the second innings. However, given the cold weather conditions, the dew is expected to come early, which will affect both the teams,” he added.

Spotlight on Rohit

The series will see the return of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the T20I team. However, Kohli has opted out of the first game due to personal reasons. In his absence, the limelight will be on Rohit, who will open the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Local boy Shubman Gill is expected to come in at No. 3.

“We will be certainly opening with Rohit (Sharma) and (Yashasvi) Jaiswal,” said Dravid. “You have to have that flexibility to do whatever is required. So, nothing is closed. But certainly, we’re really happy with what Jaiswal has done as an opener for us, and he gives us a left-right combination as well at the top,” he added.

The coach kept his cards close to his chest about the inclusion of Rinku Singh in the middle-order. “He has started his career well. He has finished some important games for us, and played the role of a finisher with responsibility,” said Dravid.

Picking the wicketkeeper for this series will be another task for the coach. In KL Rahul’s absence, Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson are available for selection.

The bowling attack will be led by local pacer Arshdeep Singh. With the pitch and weather conditions offering help to fast bowlers, India are expected to play three pacers.

Prioritising events: Dravid

It will be India’s last T20I series before the World Cup, and the players will have to rely on the IPL experience for preparation. The league will also help Dravid with the team selection.

“There have been quite a few ICC events over the last few years. At various stages, in the last couple of years that I’ve been here, we’ve had to prioritise certain formats, certain tournaments, simply because of the amount of cricket that is being played,” said Dravid.

“We have always had to prioritise what is important, especially for the players who are playing all the three formats. Even in this series, people such as Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Siraj have missed out because of the five Test matches that we have against England,” he added.

No disciplinary issues with Ishan, Shreyas

Rahul Dravid denied reports that there was a disciplinary reason behind the non-inclusion of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in the squad for the series. “He (Kishan) was not available for selection. He had requested for a break in South Africa which we agreed to and supported,” said Dravid. “I am sure when he is available for selection, he will play some domestic cricket before coming back to the squad,” he added.

“Iyer’s case has absolutely nothing to do with any disciplinary issue. It is just that he missed out. There are a lot of batsmen in the team. He did not play in the T20s in South Africa as well,” he added. “It’s unfortunate because he is a fine player but there are a lot of batsmen and it is not easy to fit everyone into the squad or playing 11. No discipline issues were discussed, at least during my discussion with the selectors,” he added.

India vs Afghanistan T20I results

• 1 May, 2010: India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets
• 19 September, 2012: India beat Afghanistan by 23 runs
• 3 November, 2021: India beat Afghanistan by 66 runs
• 8 September, 2022: India beat Afghanistan by 101 runs
• 7 October, 2023: Match abandoned due to rain

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