It will be a dead rubber for the Indians as they take on Afghanistan in the 5th game of the Super Four in Asia Cup 2022. Indians are out of contention for a place in the final after their loss against Sri Lanka in the last game and they would look for a face-saving win in the contest. Afghanistan suffered a heartbreaking loss against Pakistan, and they too would like to go home with a win.
Afghanistan has never defeated India in any format of the game, and this is likely to play on their minds. Their batsmen have had a poor scoring rate for most of the season and the side can least afford that here. The Indians would have high stakes in the contest with their honor in the line and we expect them to fight it hard in the middle.
How To Watch
Match: India vs Afghanistan
Date & Time: September 8 @ 7:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
TV Channel: Star Sports Network
Online Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar (Try for free)
Watch in Australia, Canada & USA: YuppTV
Team News
India: It was the second major blow in the tournament for Rohit Sharma’s side as they went down against Sri Lanka by 6 wickets. The script was almost the same for them against Sri Lanka as it was against Pakistan. Poor bowling again let the side down to a 6-wicket loss. With their fate already sealed the side would like to finish on a high with a win in the last game.
Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul have done well, and the side would need a good show from the pair in this game. Suryakumar Yadav must score quick runs in the middle order with Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya. Rishabh Pant must show more maturity and add runs down the order with Deepak Hooda and Ravichandran Ashwin as the team hasn’t done well in the death overs.
It will be an acid test for the bowlers and the side would need good spells from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh with the new ball. Hardik Pandya has been doing well and he will need to bowl tight spells with Yuzvendra Chahal. Ashwin did bowl well in the last game and the team would like him to bring his experience into play here.
Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi would be upset with the result in the last game. They had pushed the Pakistanis into a corner only to end up losing by 1 wicket. They made the small score a mountain to climb for their opponents but lost nerves in the final over of the game. This loss has pushed them out of contention for a place in the next round. Nabi would like to win this game and go home with something to cheer for.
Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai must add quick runs at the top as their strike rate has been a concern. Ibrahim Zadran also needs to push the scoring rate in the middle overs with Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat. The side would also like to see big hits from the bats of Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Rashid Khan as the top order has struggled.
On the bowling front, it was a brave display by the side in the last game and they would look for tight spells from Mujeeb ur Rahman Fazalhaq Farooqi. Rashid Khan has bowled against this line-up, and he will have a crucial role to play in the middle overs. Fareed Ahmad Malik, Nabi, and Azmatullah Omarzai must do well in the supporting role.
India vs Afghanistan Probable Playing XIs
India Team: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
Afghanistan Team: Mohammad Nabi (c), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi