India vs Afghanistan: When Mighty meets Minnow in ICC CWC 2019

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Mighty India and minnow Afghanistan are no match for each other. But cricket is a game of unpredictability. This India vs Afghanistan match would be a good watch for sure. The latter has lost all its matches in this World Cup and are desperately looking for a victory.  Yet, India can’t take them lightly. The Men in Blue narrowly escaped against them in a clash in the Asia cup.

The Indian side is riding high with three continuous win. Though the Afghanis have always found support from the Asian tigers, this is a mega event. Each clash is equally important. The sparks of Ro-hit, as he is popularly called, bat & spin of Kul-Cha (Kuldeep and Chahal), fireworks of Pandya, India has everything going for them.

The Indian Squad

Shikhar Dhawan is ruled out for the entire Tournament, but the Blue Squad has plenty of options. As captain Kohli said, “When this scenario emerged, I was not nervous at all because we have selected the team in such a way that we have players who can step into that position and win the match for us.”

India vs Afghanistan: When Mighty meets Minnow in ICC CWC 2019
Image Source: New Indian Express

Virat Kohli is an upbeat skipper, who believes in his team. He might spring a surprise by giving a rest to MS Dhoni and a chance to Kartik or Pant. Shikahar Dhawan’s being out means that Rahul will open with Rohit in this match too, possibly. In the previous match, their understanding resulted in a brilliant partnership of 136 runs against Pakistan. Rahul has batted in a way expected of him, technically strong. Vijay Shankar is likely to continue as his performance was good in the debut match, both with the bat and the ball.

Virat is riding high with his brilliant knocks. He is excellent not only with the bat and on the field. His captaincy is also equally astounding. Dhoni is yet to to make a mark of his style, but if Kartik or Pant are given a chance, it would make for a good move too. Rohit Sharma’s performance is consistent, with two centuries to his credit.

Although there are doubts about Bhuvneshwar playing, him and Jaspreet Bumrah have been a nightmare for all the teams played against.  The spinner duo Yazuvendra and Kuldeep are proving to be middle match turner, spinning the ball at perfect angles. Pandya’s frireworks with the bat as well as the ball and Vijay’s technically sound ball and bat performance, have been a welcome all-rounder performances.

The Indian squad needs to consider the three spinners of Afghanistan. If they perform well, it can pose a challenge to our batsmen.  

The Afghani Line-up

Afghanistan has had a very inspiring journey of cricket. The Afghanis have nothing to lose and so they can freely express their talent. Their chief selector has hoped to reach Semi-final at the time of the release of the team jersey.

India vs Afghanistan: When Mighty meets Minnow in ICC CWC 2019
Image Source: Crictracker

The war torn nation, Afghanistan is playing its second World Cup. Though they are considered a minor team, they have given a tough competition to their opponents. They were fabulous against Sri Lanka and gave them jitters. Its spinners are the best in the cricket world of limited over matches. Rashid Khan is their lead player. He is very effective with his ball but can provide an edge to batting towards the end of the inning. The trio, Rashid, Nabi and youngster Mujeeb ur Rehman can turn the match result single-handedly.

Their major concern is their flimsy batting.  The batsmen are vulnerable against even an average bowling unit. They got a mere 187 to score in 40 overs against Sri Lanka but they failed. It is not that they lack in talent; it’s the absence of stability shown by batsmen. They have not been able to perform on this platform as per their potential which has cost the team dearly. Hashmatullah, Rahmat Shah ans Asghar Afghan have the capability to stay and score steadily whereas Mohammad Shahjad and Hazratullah Zazai can hit the ball to the boundaries and raise the run rate.

Conclusion

Afghanistan will need to score a big total, something they haven’t quite been able to do so far in the tournament. They have sparkled briefly in every game before fizzling out. This as an opportunity to learn all the tricks of the game and gain as much experience as possible. It is an opportunity for the Indians to score a big total with Dhoni & Virat’s expertise. This win would seal its semi-final berth.