India Vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I: Three Key Battles To Watch Out For

On the eve of the three-game contest between them, India and Afghanistan received drastically different news: for India, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were to return to the team while, for Afghanistan, Rashid Khan would miss out due to his ongoing recovery. (Match Blog | More Cricket News)

Kohli and Sharma's return to the squad for India vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I, raises significant questions, considering this is, at the moment, the last series of this format the Men in Blue are scheduled to play before the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup. Afghanistan, meanwhile, have questions of their own to deal with, chief among them the changes they are likely to field due to the absence of the talismanic Rashid. 

The two will play three T20Is in a seven-day span, starting January 11, 2024, in Mohali. The action will then shift to Indore on January 14, before settling in Bengaluru on January 17. With that in mind, here are three key battles to look out for in India vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I: 

Rohit Sharma vs Naveen-ul-Haq

Rohit Sharma's timely return to the Indian team all but confirms his position going into this summer's ICC T20 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies and the United States of America. Set to lead the team into yet another bilateral series, the Mumbai Indians batter is now expected to retain his spot and his captaincy for the mega-event in which his team will fact, at the very least, Ireland, Pakistan, USA, and Canada. 

Having missed the white ball legs of the South Africa series, Sharma has the opportunity to use the home series against Afghanistan to bring himself back up to speed in the shortest format - considering that, except the Indian Premier League, he is unlikely to play T20s. But, the Afghan bowlers will ensure that the three bouts don't become a practice session for Sharma, starting with the game in Mohali. There, leading the pace attack would by the fiery Naveen-ul-Haq, who will be aiming to set the early pace in his team's favour! 

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Virat Kohli vs Mujeeb Ur Rahman 

Like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, too, can count on a guaranteed spot at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, which, in turn, puts an increased impetus on the Afghanistan series. Kohli, despite the occasional dips, has largely maintained his imperious form over the years, but time is running out for the Indian batter to turn that form into something tangible, like trophies. The Afghanistan series can serve as a precursor for Kohli to get himself warmed up for the upcoming cricket bonanza, starting with the bout in Mohali on January 11. 

Standing in Kohli's way will be the returning Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who gets to inhabit the leading spinner tag for Afghanistan in the absence of the talented Rashid Khan. Mujeeb, himself, is a talent to behold within the AfghanAtalan squad, his ability to turn the ball with accuracy a key weapon his team will be looking to unleash on India - and especially against Kohli. 

Ibrahim Zadran vs Mukesh Kumar

Mukesh Kumar's star has risen rapidly in the space of a year. This time, last year, few knew about the right-arm medium-fast bowler, hailing from Gopalganj and representing Bengal in domestic cricket since 2015. Then, Delhi Capitals picked him up in the IPL auction, thrust him centre-stage with the ball, and presented him the opportunity to do something memorable. A year later, Mukesh is a regular in the Indian side and set to lead the bowling attack when they take on Afghanistan in the first of three T20Is. 

Mukesh is likely to come up against the Afghan skipper Ibrahim Zadran at some point in the match on January 11. Zadran, merely 22, is one to watch out for, with his skill with the bat a significant weapon in the early Afghanistan batting order. Zadran will hope to set his team on their way to a big total when they face India in Mohali, and, consequently, the responsibility to restrict him in his path, may fall on the experienced shoulders of Mukesh.