Team India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first as the inaugural T20 World Cup champions are taking on Afghanistan in both teams' first Super 8 clash at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Thursday, June 20. This is India's first game in the ongoing T20 World Cup in the Caribbean after playing the group stage in the USA and the change of venue and the conditions meant a key change in the Men in Blue's composition for the Afghanistan match.
India left out pacer Mohammed Siraj and brought in left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav on expected lines. When asked by Ravi Shastri if they made any change looking at the conditions, Rohit responded in positive as Kuldeep is set to make his T20 World Cup debut. Siraj, who took just one wicket in three matches in New York, had to make way unfortunately as India had taken four spinners specifically for the conditions in the Caribbean.
The spinners have gotten assistance in the matches in the Caribbean, whether it's Adam Zampa, Adil Rashid, Tabraiz Shamsi or Gudakesh Motie and given the asset he is across formats, Kuldeep was an automatic selection. Still India have four pace options with Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh at the top, Hardik Pandya to follow and Shivam Dube being also there as an option.
The conditions in the USA aided the seam bowlers and hence, India could afford having three frontline seamers in the attack and Kuldeep was unfortunate to miss out there. Arshdeep Singh is India's leading wicket-taker in the tournament so far and hence Siraj had to stay on the bench on Thursday.
On the other hand, Afghanistan also made a change as they shored up their adding by bringing in left-hander Hazratullah Zazai in place of all-rounder Karim Janat.
India's playing XI against 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
