Team India will face Afghanistan in their 2nd match of the tournament to be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi on 11th October 2023. It promises to be a high-scoring affair as the pitch had lots of runs in the match between South Africa and Sri Lanka.
India will be high on confidence after a six-wicket win over Australia after being reduced to 2 for 3. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul added 165 runs that paved the way for Men in Blue with an easy victory. The bowlers did a remarkable job to bowl Australia out cheaply.
On the other hand, Afghanistan lost its first match against Bangladesh by six wickets and looked out of colour. They could only muster 156 runs and could not pressure on the batters to make life tough.
Both teams have good quality players who can change the course of the game with their winning abilities.
Here we look at the 5 players to watch out for:
- Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli had a dream start to the tournament with a superb 85 against Australia on a tough wicket to bat on. King Kohli showed his class by taking singles and keeping the strike rotating.
He was given a reprieve as Mitchell Marsh dropped a simple chance. After that, he looked in great touch with lovely shots against the pacers and spinners that made life tough for Australian bowlers.
Virat Kohli has batted in 2 innings against Afghanistan and highest score of 67. He would be looking to continue his brilliant form at his home ground putting pressure on the Afghanistan bowlers lacking experience.
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz
The right-handed wicketkeeper batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz had a decent outing in the first match against Afghanistan. He looked in decent touch putting pressure with some positive strokes and kept the scoreboard ticking.
He played the spinners brilliantly and kept Afghanistan on track for a good total. Gurbaz was eventually dismissed for 47. His role is to provide a positive start against top-quality Indian bowling and give Afghanistan a chance to register a victory.
Playing his first One-day international knock against India, he would be eager to prove his worth with an attacking knock.
- KL Rahul
KL Rahul was at his best during a match-winning knock against Australia in Chennai. India looked in deep trouble with the scoreboard reading 2 for 3. He showed his class playing according to the situation and keeping the momentum going.
He looked settled and kept the scoreboard ticking along with Kohli. It was a sensational knock by Rahul remaining not out on 97 and hitting the winning runs. For his superb knock, KL Rahul was named the player of the match award.
KL Rahul has scored 90 runs against Afghanistan in ODI format. He would be looking to continue his superb form in tomorrow’s match and make sure that India wins the match comfortably.
- Rashid Khan
The right-arm leg spinner looked ordinary against Bangladesh at Dharmshala. He finished with figures of 0 for 48 in his 9 overs. Rashid Khan is struggling now in One-day international form as the batters hit big strokes and keep momentum in middle overs.
He has played just 2 ODI matches and grabbed 3 wickets at an economy of 3.98 runs per over and figures of 2 for 41. Rashid Khan would be important in the middle overs to pick wickets and also stem the flow of runs.
His bowling efforts would ensure that Afghanistan could put pressure on the Indian batters with variations.
- Kuldeep Yadav
The left-arm chinamen looked in great rhythm picking up 2 wickets in the first match against Australia. He got a breakthrough by dismissing David Warner and then got rid of Glenn Maxwell which created pressure on the batters.
He has been in excellent form during the middle overs picking up wickets and not allowing the batters to score runs freely. Kuldeep Yadav would be key to doing the same making sure that Afghanistan batters do not hit big shots.
India will rely on Kuldeep Yadav to keep pressure on the Afghanistan batters and make sure that they win the match with ease.
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