Team India will be finally resuming its T20 World Cup campaign with the game against Afghanistan in the Super 8 round. The match is set to be played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, their first in the West Indies in this mega event having played all their group stage matches in New York (and Florida where their final group game against Canada got washed out). New York was the toughest venue of the World Cup and better batting conditions will be on offer in Barbados but then what will happen to the team combination?
Will India continue to go with four pacers including Hardik Pandya? Or they will include a specialist spinner in their line-up? Let us have a look at their playing XI for the match against Afghanistan:
Contrary to many expectations, India are unlikely to tinker with their openers despite Virat Kohli not clicking at all in the group stage mustering only five runs in three matches. Rohit Sharma too hasn't scored many after hitting a half-century in the first game against Ireland. But the superstar duo is likely to continue at the top of the order and to be fair to them, the conditions to bat in New York were very tough as well. Rishabh Pant should continue batting at three while Suryakumar Yadav will follow him next.
Unless there is a collapse, there shouldn't be any change in the batting order as well with Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel following him respectively. All of these four players are all-rounders who give the captain a cushion of bowling overs. Among them, Hardik, Jadeja and Axar are expected to complete their quota with the latter two playing a role if the pitch is on the slower side.
The fast bowling department might see with Mohammed Siraj making way for the wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. India head coach Rahul Dravid also hinted at a possible change with one of the wrist spinners coming into the equation. With Jasprit Bumrah being a certainty and Arshdeep Singh giving a good account of himself, it is very much given that Siraj will be dropped for Kuldeep.
The rest of the players - Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Yuzvendra Chahal - will have to wait for their chance.
India's probable playing XI vs Afghanistan: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
