• Source:JND
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India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I: India will be taking on Afghanistan in the three-match T20I series which commences on Thursday, January 11 with the first match scheduled to be played in Mohali.

The series at home is India's last bilateral assignment in the shortest format ahead of the T20 World Cup which begins in June this year.

India were last seen in action in the T20I format in the South Africa tour where the two-match series ended in a 1-1 draw.

 

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Before the South Africa tour, the Men in Blue defeated Australia 3-2 in a five-match T20I series at home.

The series also marks the return of the star players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the hosts in the absence of key players like Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav.

While the Men in Blue aim to finalise their combinations ahead of marquee tournament in the West Indies and the USA, they will be without the services of key players like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shreyas Iyer, and Ravindra Jadeja.

Afghanistan will also be missing their one of the most prominent players Rashid Khan as he has been ruled out of the three-match series due to injury.

 

With a promising number of star players aligned for action, take a look at a few players to watch out for in the T20I series.

 


Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli might not be available for the opening match but will join the team for the remaining two matches as he is expected to be one of the key players for the home side.

Kohli last played a T20I match in T20 World Cup 2022 as he makes his return to the shortest format, aiming for a remarkable comeback to show his class once again.

The former Indian captain has been one of the consistent performers in the T20I format and has 4008 runs to his name in 115 matches at a stunning average of 52.74.

 

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Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma also makes his return to the shortest format after more than a year and will be leading the Indian team in the series against Afghanistan.

Rohit has played 148 T20I matches so far and has 3853 runs to his name at an average of 30.82 as he remains a key player for the home side at an average of 30.82 and with the help of four centuries.

 

Rinku Singh

Rinku Singh has been one of the most highlighted names in Indian cricket over the past few months, especially in the T20I format.

The star batter impressed everyone with his immense hitting in IPL 2023 and was rewarded with a place in the Indian team.

Since making his debut against Ireland, Rinku has played 12 T20I matches and has scored 262 runs at an average of 65.5 and a stunning strike rate of 180.69.

 

Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been one of the key players for the Afghanistan team over the years, especially in the bowling department while assisting the likes of Rashid Khan and Mohammed Nabi.

In the absence of Rashid, Mujeeb will be leading the spin attack and could prove to be lethal in the conditions that help the spinner a bit.

In the 43 T20I matches played so far, Mujeeb has taken 56 wickets at an average of 17.84 as he aims to capitalise on the helpful Indian conditions.

 

Ibrahim Zadran

Ibrahim Zadran will be leading the Afghanistan team in the series and will look to make a mark in their maiden bilateral white-ball assignment against the Men in Blue.

Zadran has been brilliant with the bat in the past few months and was also the key player for his team in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India.

He ended up scoring 376 runs in nine innings at an average of 76.27 and helped his team put up their best-ever effort in the history of the marquee tournament.