IND vs AFG: Afghanistan Squad For India T20Is Announced; Rashid Khan Unlikely To Participate

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has named a 19-member squad for the three-match T20I series against India. The T20I series will be played from January 11 to 17, 2024. The first T20I will be played in Mohali, the second in Indore, and the third in Bengaluru. 

Afghanistan will be led by Ibrahim Zadran. He recently led the Afghans to a T20I series win against UAE in Sharjah. Senior players Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, and Guladin Naib are part of the side with Rashid Khan also returning to the side after being rested for the against UAE. However, Rashid is unlikely to participate in the series as he continues to recover from a back injury. 

The ACB has also included Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman after the trio were not keen on signing national contracts recently. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the attacking keper batsman is also a part of the T20I side. Hasmatullah Shahidi, who led Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup has been rested for this tour. 

This is the first time that India and Afghanistan will play a bilateral T20I series. Previously both teams have met in ICC tournaments in ODI and T20I cricket. Afghanistan’s recent loss against India was in the 2023 ODI World Cup. The Afghans are yet to win against India in white-ball formats and also in Test cricket. 

Delighted To Embark On Maiden Tour To India: ACB Chairman- Mirwais Ashraf

 “We are delighted to be embarking on our maiden tour to India for a three-match series. India is the top-ranked side in the world and it’s very pleasing to witness AfghanAtalan competing in a three-match T20I against them. We believe that AfghanAtalan are no longer underdogs & have excelled well in the recent past and we look forward to a highly competitive series against India” ACB Chairman Mr. Mirwais Ashraf said. 

Also Read: IND vs ENG: India ‘A’ Squad For Series Against England Lions Announced, Abhimanyu Easwaran To Lead

Super Cola Beverages Manufacturing Company, Etisalat Afghanistan Telecommunication Company, Lava Mobile, and Intex Technologies have secured sponsorships with the Afghanistan Cricket Board for this series. 

Team India’s Squad will also be announced in the next few days for the three-match series. Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav will miss the T20I series against Afghanistan due to injury concerns. 

This might make the BCCI selectors fall back on Rohit Sharma to lead the Indian T20I squad with the return of senior players like Virat Kohli. Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah might be rested from the series with Mohammed Shami also set to miss the series with an ankle injury. 

A few Indian players might recalled into the Indian squad as well for the T20I series against Afghanistan. This is a key T20I series for both teams ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 in the US and the Caribbean. India, Pakistan, Ireland, Canada, and The USA form Group A. Afghanistan are placed in Group C alongside, New Zealand, West Indies, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea

Afghanistan’s Squad for the three-match T20I Series against India:

Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmaullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan.

Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2024: You’ll Need Experienced Players Like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma – Irfan Pathan