"If I was Indian Captain..."- 1983 WC-winning Star gives winning Mantra to Rohit Sharma ahead of IND vs AFG Clash
IND vs AFG: Team India are all set to start their Super 8 journey on Thursday. They will face Afghanistan in match no. 43 at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. India will also be facing Australia and Bangladesh need to win two games at least to make it to the semis. That's why the IND vs AFG clash is very important. Though Afghanistan have never beaten India in a match across formats but India can't take them lightly after the way they have performed in this tournament.
Afghanistan finished second in their group and beat New Zealand comprehensively. Adding to that, their bowling attack is well suited for the conditions, and they have the skills to beat any team on their day. Afghanistan have already given tough times to India in the past and have come close to winning some matches. That's what former Indian selector and 1983 World Cup-winning member Kris Srikkanth also said recently.
Kris Srikkanth warns Team Rohit Sharma and co. ahead of the IND vs AFG Clash
There will be a few areas that Team India need to address ahead of the IND vs AFG game. The form of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is a concern, while Indian spinners didn't have enough gametime so far. Meanwhile, Afghanistan have played their four games in West Indies and have a better knowledge of the conditions here. Kris Srikkanth also highlighted that Afghanistan's bowling unit is in great form.
In an interview ahead of IND vs AFG clash, with Star Sports, Srikkanth said, "You can?t take things lightly against Afghanistan. They have a good team and a terrific bowling side. So, I was the Indian captain, if I was Rohit Sharma, I would like to bat first. Don?t let Afghanistan bat first because if that happens, they will score around 160?170 and their bowlers are good enough to maybe defend the total." The 1983 World Cup-winning member also added that Afghanistan have a slightly weaker batting attack and India can pounch on that.
Notably, India and Afghanistan have played eight games in T20Is, and India have won seven of them, while one ended with no result. The last game between the two was a tie, and India won the Super Over. Afghanistan have an excellent spin attack with Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and Mohammad Nabi, while Fazalhaq Farooqi is in excellent form with the new ball. So they will pose a big threat to India. So it will be an exciting game between India's batting and Afghanistan's bowling.
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