India were knocked out of Asia Cup 2022 after Pakistan beat Afghanistan in a last-over thriller. India had earlier lost against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the super 4 stage. The men in blue will now face off against Afghanistan on Thursday. India will look to beat Afghanistan by and the tournament on a high.
With Avesh Khan ruled out of the tournament due to illness, Deepak Chahar has come in as his replacement. Chahar is expected to play against Afghanistan on Thursday, as India have desperately felt the need of an extra seamer in its last two matches. Ravi Bishnoi who had bowled superbly against Pakistan, is likely to replace Ravichandran Ashwin, who was far from his best in the match against Sri Lanka. But balance of the side may also force Rohit to play Axar Patel in place of Rishabh Pant.
Another probable change in the team would be the replacement of Deepak Hooda with Dinesh Karthik. Hooda hasn’t been able to perform the role of finisher for the team and failed to accelerate the Indian innings on two occasions in last two matches. Karthik, who is a tried and tested finisher, will therefore replace the 27-year old batting all-rounder.
India have performed well in the powerplay and middle overs. It’s the death overs that have hampered India’s performance with both the bat and the ball. In the final overs, the batsmen haven’t been able to accelerate and fallen while trying to hit boundaries. The shot selection and attitude of Indian batters, will have to improve greatly against the must-win game against Afghanistan.
India’s bowling in death overs has looked out of sorts. Only Arshdeep Singh has been able to deliver the yorkers and dot balls to curtail the flow of runs. Other pacers Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, have leaked runs in plenty and haven’t executed the right balls in crunch situations. Rohit Sharma led team India would look to pull up their socks in these grey areas and win heavily over Afghanistan.
India’s Predicted XI vs Afghanistan:
Openers: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul
Top and middle order: Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav
Power hitters: Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel
Spin options: Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel
Pace options: Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya
