India vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I: Virat Kohli has returned and will likely be seen in action in the second T20I between Idia and Afghanistan on Sunday, January 14.

India and Afghanistan will face off in the second T20I match at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore as the hosts look to seal the series, having already 1-0 up in the series.

The Men in Blue took the lead in the three-match series after clinching the first match by six wickets in Mohali.

 

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This is the first-ever bilateral white-ball series between India and Afghanistan and the hosts' final bilateral assignment in the shortest format ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.

Notably, Virat Kohli wasn't part of the first match as wasn't available, having opted out due to personal reasons.

Both Kohli and skipper Rohit Sharma were named in the squad for Afghanistan, marking their return to the T20I side after more than a year.

 

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As India aim to finalise a few combinations for the marquee tournament which takes place in June, players like Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel will be keen to put up impressive performances to keep themselves within the selectors' sight.

Jitesh has been the first-choice wicketkeeper batter as he has overtaken Ishan Kishan in the pecking order since replacing the latter in the fourth T20I against Australia at Raipur last year.

The Maharashtra man has struck a couple of useful 30s down the order, but he would not have missed the need for a bigger knock to cement his claim.

It seems to be a similar case for Tilak Varma who was off to a remarkable start to his T20I career last year, scoring 39, 51, and 49 not out against the West Indies in an away three-match series.

But since then, Varma has tapered off. The next 13 innings have produced only one more fifty, against a below-par Bangladesh in the Asian Games, with three 20-plus scores and one 30-plus knock dominating the rest of the outings.

However, it remains to be seen whether Varma can retain his place in the side as star batsman Virat Kohli is available for this match after skipping the first game.

Axar Patel was so unlucky to be missing out on the ODI World Cup 2023 due to injury but will always remain on the radar to feature in both red and white ball formats.

On Friday, the left-arm spinner was included in the India squad for the first two Tests against England, and he dished out a fine spell at the PCA Stadium on Thursday night as well -- 4-0-23-2.

Sundar too has earned a recall but has not set the stage ablaze so far on his return. He will also eye a change in the second match.

On the other hand, Afghanistan will be looking for an improved performance and bounce back to level the series.

Despite the absence of star spinner Rashid Khan, the Afghans have the services of Mujeeb ur Rahman, who was in good rhythm in the first match, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi.

It would be immature to take things lightly against this Afghan side as they are well equipped with the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai, and the experienced Mohammad Nabi to hurt India on their day.