India are unbeaten in the edition so far, and are the firm favourites for the upcoming game as well. The Men in Blue have won three of their four games, with the fourth being washed out. Afghanistan, on the other hand, are at the other end of the spectrum with five losses from as many games and are coming after a huge loss to England, where they conceded 397 runs, en-route to a 150-run defeat.
India, however, have a few injury concerns going into the game. Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the tournament with Rishabh Pant replacing him in the squad. Bhuvneshwar Kumar too pulled his hamstring last time around, and will miss tomorrow's game. Vijay Shankar, who replaced Dhawan in the game against Pakistan was hit in the nets as well, and though he seems to have recovered, it will be interesting to see the combination that India go in with.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: MS Dhoni (9 credits)
Dhoni might bat lower down the order, and against a team like Afghanistan might not be needed with the bat. However, he has primarily been selected for his wicket-keeping skills. The Indian is one of the swiftest keepers in the world at the moment, and his ability to earn points with the gloves ensures that he is a good buy in the side.
Batsman: Virat Kohli (11 credits)
No words are enough to describe the genius that is Virat Kohli. The Indian skipper is the
India are unbeaten in the edition so far, and are the firm favourites for the upcoming game as well. The Men in Blue have won three of their four games, with the fourth being washed out. Afghanistan, on the other hand, are at the other end of the spectrum with five losses from as many games and are coming after a huge loss to England, where they conceded 397 runs, en-route to a 150-run defeat.
India, however, have a few injury concerns going into the game. Shikhar Dhawan has been ruled out of the tournament with Rishabh Pant replacing him in the squad. Bhuvneshwar Kumar too pulled his hamstring last time around, and will miss tomorrow's game. Vijay Shankar, who replaced Dhawan in the game against Pakistan was hit in the nets as well, and though he seems to have recovered, it will be interesting to see the combination that India go in with.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-keeper: MS Dhoni (9 credits)
Dhoni might bat lower down the order, and against a team like Afghanistan might not be needed with the bat. However, he has primarily been selected for his wicket-keeping skills. The Indian is one of the swiftest keepers in the world at the moment, and his ability to earn points with the gloves ensures that he is a good buy in the side.
Batsman: Virat Kohli (11 credits)
No words are enough to describe the genius that is Virat Kohli. The Indian skipper is the top-ranked batsman in the ODI rankings, and has had a good run in the edition thus far as well. With two scores above 75 in three games, he has raised his hand up and performed as per expectations in the tournament. He, however, is yet to get a hundred and will be eager to achieve that against a not-so-threatening bowling attack.
All-rounder: Hardik Pandya (9.5 credits)
Hardik Pandya is India's star all-rounder. He has been playing the role of a floater in this tournament, and can once again be called upon to bat at 4 or 5 to pitch in with a few quick runs. If he fails to contribute with the bat, he is likely to fetch a few wickets with the ball.
Bowler: Yuzvendra Chahal (9 credits)
The bowler displayed his skills against South Africa earlier in the World Cup, when he ended with 4 wickets. Chahal has been one of the most consistent bowlers for India in the past, with the ability to wreak havoc in the middle overs. The Afghan players are not the best players of spin, and Chahal's guile and his deceptive googlies can ensure that he is among the wickets.
Captain: Rohit Sharma
Vice-captain: Virat Kohli
Predicted Playing XI:
India: Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (c), Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni (wk), Vijay Shankar/Rishabh Pant, Kedar Jadhav, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib (c), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Ikram Ali Khil (wk), Dawlat Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
