Team India has entered the Super-8 stage of the ongoing T20 World Cup in a commanding fashion. So have the Afghanistan side, who seemed very dominant until they faced the mighty Windies.
Despite having a comfortable entry into the second group stage, India has not found any form, as batters and bowlers have not appeared to be at the top of their game. On the other hand, Afghanistan has played in a far more trendy way, thanks to the better playing conditions in the Caribbean.
As far as the pitches are concerned, India will play their 3 matches of the Super-8 stage at different venues across the islands. These will be better playing conditions for the Men in Blue, and hence their batters will look to start dominating.
Under such comfortable playing conditions, Afghanistan bowlers have bowled with a different spirit and have failed the mighty Kiwi batting order. India will now want the two maestros, Virat and Rohit, to hit a different level against the Afghan players.
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Fazalhaq Farooqi, Afghanistan’s leading wicketkeeper, will introduce the angles against the two Indian greats, and once he can get it done, half of the job will be done for the Afghans. The rest would pin their hopes on Rashid Khan, the greatest of the generation, when it comes to the shortest format of the game.
However, it takes a genius to counter the other, and luckily for India, they have Suryakumar Yadav, who is undoubtedly the most unique talent suiting the high standards of the format. SKY has scored at a massive strike rate of 141 since 2023 against the Afghan spinner, and so has Dube, who has been a great contributor against the Afghan skipper as well.
Another major battle would be between Afghanistan opener Gurbaz and the world’s pace bowling sensation Jasprit Bumrah; the two will be in the quest for hunting down the other.
Let’s see who will lead their way into the Super-8 in a commanding fashion, be it India or Afghanistan. This will be a thrilling encounter for either team to begin their hunt for the Super-8.