India vs Afghanistan, ICCWCT20 2021, Today Match Prediction 03 November 2021

ind vs afg Match Prediction & Analysis

India wouldn’t have hoped to find itself playing for survival in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, but things haven’t gone their way. The side comes here with a big loss against New Zealand and shall look to put that behind and win this game. Afghanistan on its part is looking in good form and they registered a comprehensive win in the last game against Namibia. 

The two sides have played two T20 games in the past and India has emerged victorious on both those occasions. Indians have a good batting side, and they would hope to see their batsmen hit form in this game. Afghanistan would count its chances after India’s poor show in the last two games and this is expected to make this contest exciting.

TEAMS PREVIEW

India Preview

The performance of Virat Kohli’s side has been the biggest talking point in the tournament. They have not only lost the two games but have failed to compete in either of those games. It was a dismal show with the bat in the last game against New Zealand where the side suffered an 8-wicket loss. They must win this game but a huge margin to not only earn their first points but also improve their run rate.

The new opening pair of Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul showed intent in the last game and the side would expect to see a good show from them. Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rishab Pant are big players, but they would have to deliver the goods in the middle overs. The side would also expect to see runs from the bat of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur down the order which hasn’t happened in two games. 

India’s bowling attack hasn’t looked threatening yet and they would need early wickets from Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy. Ashwin is expected to play this game and he would look to bowl well in tandem with Ravindra Jadeja. Thakur and Mohammad Shami have struggled, and the side would need them to deliver here. 

India Predicted Playing XI:

Virat Kohli (c), Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

India Actual Playing XI:

Ravichandran Ashwin, Lokesh Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, SA Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli, SN Thakur, Mohammed Shami

Afghanistan Preview

Mohammad Nabi’s side comes into this contest with a massive win against Namibia. They batted and bowled well to register the 62-run win in the last game. One more win would open their prospects for a berth in the semifinal. Nabi would keep in mind India’s lack of form and confidence and shall look to exploit those in this game. 

Openers Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad have done well in the season so far and they would look to offer the side a good start here. The absence of Asghar Afghan is a big loss but the side would hope to see runs from Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Najibullah Zadran in the middle order. Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, and Rashid Khan are good players down the order and runs would be expected from them. 

Nabi and Naveen-ul Haq have to grab early wickets and they would look to exploit India’s weaknesses at the top. Hamid Hassan and Rashid Khan have bowled well, and the side would look for tight spells from them in this game. Karim Janat and Naib are experienced bowlers, and they have an important role to play in this game.

Afghanistan Predicted Playing XI:

Mohammad Nabi (c), Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Karim Janat, Hamid Hassan, Naveen-ul-Haq

Afghanistan Actual Playing XI:

Mohammad Nabi, Hamid Hassan, Karim Janat, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hazratullah Zazai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Rashid Khan, M Shahzad, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It would be a warm and humid evening at Abu Dhabi on November 03 and the wicket is expected to be dual paced as we have seen in the last few games where batsmen have struggled to score quickly. Spinners have done well in the last few games played here. A score of 160 runs or more would be a good one on this surface.

Venue Details

Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi has been a good hunting ground for the batsmen but over the last few games, we have seen batsmen struggle here due to slowness on the surface. There isn’t much here for the fast bowlers and they must make good use of their variations. Spinners enjoy success at this venue as the wicket aids them.

Toss: To Bowl

Eight games have been played at this venue and the sides batting first have managed only two wins so far. The wicket has been slower than expected and setting up scores here has been a challenge. The side winning the toss in this game would have little hesitation in bowling first.