Virat Kohli and company should look to assert their dominance in World Cup 2019 when they take on Afghanistan in Match 28.
Team India are one of two unbeaten teams in the competition and currently occupy fourth place in the points table. Opponents Afghanistan, meanwhile, are the only team in the competition without a point and lie at the floor of the ten team standings.
If one were to look back at how the two teams have fared so far in the competition, Afghanistan should be no match to India. India have three convincing wins in the tournament – while the match against New Zealand was washed out by rain. In contrast, Afghanistan have suffered four big defeats and lost to Sri Lanka by 34 runs.
The overall stats of the two teams best illustrate the gap between the two teams.
Indian batsmen have scored three hundreds and four half-centuries so far in the competition, while Afghanistan’s batsmen have only managed to raise three half-centuries.
India have taken 25 wickets in the three matches they’ve played so far, while Afghanistan have only managed to collect 23 wickets in the five matches they’ve played.
The morale of the two teams will be quite different too heading into this match; while Team India will head into this contest at the back of a big win over arch-rivals Pakistan, Afghanistan suffered a 150-run defeat at the hands of England in their most-recent outing.
Team India are likely to make one forced change to the side that defeated Pakistan; with Bhuvneshwar Kumar sidelined for at least the next couple of matches, Mohammed Shami will most likely share the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah. 28 years old, Shami – leaner and fitter in his current avatar – would walk into most international sides; that he only walks into the Indian XI upon injury to a teammate and the subsequent the opening up of a place talks about the strengths of the Indian team.
In the Afghanistan camp, the focus will be on how their batsmen handle the pace of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Hardik Pandya, and how their two-most experienced players – Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi – fare with bat and ball.
In Afghanistan’s previous match, Rashid Khan was taken to the cleaners by the English batsmen; he was hit for 11 sixes and conceded a total of 110 runs in his nine overs – the most runs conceded by a bowler in a World Cup match.
Mohammad Nabi, Afghanistan’s most-capped player and second-highest run-getter in ODIs, has had a dreadful tournament. The 34-year old has contributed very little with the bat – and has not picked up wickets other than in the match against Sri Lanka.
For Afghanistan to compete with India, they need their two heroes – Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi – to stamp their authority in the competition. Will they use the familiarity of Indian players to stop the Indian team’s charge?
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