ICC World Cup 2019: Match 28, India vs Afghanistan – Toss Report

Match 28 of the ICC World Cup 2019 will see India go up against minnows Afghanistan in the first game of the Saturday at the Rose Bowl Cricket Stadium in Southampton. The Men in Blues will aim for two crucial points to take a step closer to the semifinals.

India’s performance have got better with each passing game. Although they will miss a few star cricketer, it won’t hamper their as India have the depth to fill in the gaps. All eyes will be on Mohammed Shami who plays his first game of this World Cup in place of injured Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The batting, so far, has been on top-class and KL Rahul needs to keep up his excellent form as the World Cup marches towards its business end.

Also read: Top 10 Bowlers Who Have Taken More Wickets Than Runs Scored in ODIs

On the other hand, Afghanistan have failed to produce the cricket they played in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers and the Asia Cup. Inconsistency in bowling and drop chances at the field has cost them most of the matches so far in the tournament. They have batted full 50 overs in the last game and will have to do once again to pose any sorts of challenge against India. More so, the senior cricketers need to take the onus while Rashid Khan has had a mild tournament so far. He needs to be on fire to contain the Men in Blues to a small total.

Date and Venue: India vs Afghanistan, June 22 (Saturday) at 3:00 PM IST, at Rose Bowl in Southampton

Also read: Top 10 Teams With Most Wins In ODIs

Toss Report

India skipper Virat Kohli has won the toss and elected to bat first against Afghanistan at the Southampton.

Here is what the captains said,

Virat Kohli

Going to bat first. Looks like a really good wicket. Nice and hard. Beautiful day to play cricket. One forced change. Bhuvi out and Shami in. Vijay showed a lot of composure in the last game. Brings balance with bat and ball and he’s good as anyone in the world in the field. Whether we’re playing a team which is very strong or a team coming up the ranks, our mindset is the same. Can’t take Afghanistan lightly. Dangerous side when they get in the groove. Can’t take any team lightly in the World Cup. Focus is within our group, what we want to do.

Gulbadin Naib

Good pitch so wanted to bat myself too. But it’s a long day. Hazratullah and Aftab are in, Noor Ali and Dawlat are not playing. It was good we batted all 50 overs the other day.

Playing XI

India: Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

Afghanistan:  Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib(c), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Ali Khil(w), Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman