The 3-match T20 series between India and Afghanistan starts today (September 13). All the matches of this series are to be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Interestingly, the Afghan team is hosting. Team India is also going to enter as a guest on its home ground. This series will be another big test for captain Shreyas Iyer.
At the beginning of his tenure, India had to face a crushing defeat first in Ireland and then in England. After this, under his leadership the team definitely won the Zimbabwe tour but there was no tough challenge there. Afghanistan team is stronger than Zimbabwe. In such a situation, Team India will have to be cautious. Especially these 5 players can prove to be a big threat.
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Rehmanullah Gurbaz
Afghanistan's opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz is known for his very aggressive batting. He scored a century in just 48 balls in the Dharamsala ODI against India this year. He has so far scored 1 century and 13 half-centuries in T20 International. Gurbaz has scored 213 runs in 7 innings this year at a strike rate of 142.95.
ibrahim zadran
Afghan captain Ibrahim Zadran is the highest T20I run scorer for the team this year. He has scored 307 runs in 7 innings at a strike rate of 140.18. Ibrahim Zadran is seen more in the role of anchor but his strike rate this year shows that he can handle the innings as well as bat fast.
Azmatullah Omrai
Pace bowling all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai has emerged as the biggest strength of the Afghan team. He is performing amazingly with bat and ball. Omarzai is the team's top wicket taker in T20I this year. He has taken 11 wickets in 6 innings. Apart from this, he has scored 115 runs at a strike rate of 176.92.
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Rashid Khan
Veteran leg spinner Rashid Khan is just 7 steps away from becoming the first bowler to take 200 wickets in T20 International. He would like to reach this magical figure in this series itself. Rashid's bowling has become sharp again and he has taken 11 wickets in 7 innings this year.
Naveen-ul-Haq
Naveen-ul-Haq, who is returning from injury, will be desperate to regain his old rhythm. Along with being lethal with the new ball, he is adept at controlling the run rate in the death overs. India will also have to be careful with Fazalhaq Farooqui. Farooqui has taken 4 wickets in 4 matches against Team India.
Probable playing-11 of both the teams
India – Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson/Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty.
Afghanistan – Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Umarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Sharfuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmed, Fazalhaq Farooqui, Naveen-ul-Haq.