Today’s ICC T20 World Cup match is a contest between India and Afghanistan. The teams stand at positions 7 and 3, respectively, in the T2OIs ranking. The match begins at 7.30 pm IST at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Watch the game broadcast on the Star Sports channel or live stream at Hotstar. 

Match Preview

India lost to New Zealand by eight wickets with 33 balls left. This was the first win registered by New Zealand in the Super 12 stage matches. Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul were out to bat first, but their performance was so low that they were knocked out. Trent Boult got Kishan 4, and Southee got Rahul at 18. The scores sent them backing out of the pitch. At the time, India reached 41-3 after eight overs. Ish Sodhi dismissed Rohit Sharma a ball 14. Virat Kohli also lost to Ish Sodhi on 9, and Adam Milne helped Ish clear up by throwing off Rishabh Pant on 12. Then they were able to score 73/5 in 15 overs.

The team now hoped for Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja to change the course of the game, who made 23 and 26 not out, respectively. Boult hauled in 3 wickets, and the Men in Blue team score stood at 110/7 in 20 overs. Chasing the target, New Zealand got to 44/1 in 6 overs. Jasprit came hard on Martin Guptill, and India thought they had this game in their hands. It was then that Daryl Mitchell unleashed his power play that posted New Zealand at 83/1. But he was mid-blocked by Bumrah who dismissed the batter on 49. Kane Williamson came to the rescue helping the team win with eight wickets and 5.3 overs to spare. 

India started the tournament in a humiliating loss to Pakistani cricketers. They lost by ten wickets and got beaten by New Zealand in their second ICC T20 World Cup match. Will they win this match? To get match tips on the India vs Afghanistan score, visit the My Casino Guru for ICC T20 World Cup match updates, free betting tips, and reviews on India’s best cricket betting sites. 

So far, Afghanistan has impressed many with its performances since the T20 World Cup 2021 commenced. They won two of their opening three games and sealed a spot in the top 2 in Group 2 of the Super 12 stage. As they embarked on their campaign, we witnessed the team win over Scotland by 130 runs, and previously, they beat Namibia by 62 runs. They have kept boosting their net run rate and secured a spot among their superiors.

Afghanistan defeated Namibia by 62 runs in the 27th match of the T20 held on Sunday. The score was impressive, and it kept their semi-finals hopes alive at the ICC T20 World Cup. After losing to Pakistan in a game that seemed one-sided, they need this win to progress to the semi-finals. They won the toss, opted to bat first, and skipper Nabi was elected to open. Players Mohammad Shahzad and Hazratullah Zazai scored 45 and 33, which added 53 to the opening wicket. Asghar Afghan restricted Namibia to 98/9 in 20 overs in a fitting farewell. He made a 23-ball 31 that contributed to the team’s score. Hamid Hasan and Naveen ul Haq were among the wickets, standing at 3/9 and 3/26, respectively, and so did Mohammad Nabi come through for the team with a 32.

Player Asghar Afghan retired with an impressive win in this final international appearance. He contributed to adding 31 off 23 balls to earn the team its victory. The win in this match boosted the team’s superior net run rate, putting them in second place in the group. 

Today’s match is crucial for both teams. India needs to win, for they are yet to win any match in the Super 12 stage, and their chances to enter the semis look pretty slim and if they lose this match, they are out. With a negative net run rate, a win would come in handy, especially after their gruesome loss to Pakistan and New Zealand in the previous T20 World Cup matches. A victory today may not be enough to get to the semi-finals, but if they beat Afghanistan by a considerable margin, they’ll automatically boost their negative net run rate. Other than this game, they also need a big win against Namibia and Scotland in the coming matches but this match poses an arduous task for the Men in Blue. Stay tuned to My Casino Guru to get these match updates.

Pitch Report

The average score in the first and second innings on this ground is 139 and 127, respectively. This means that it is not a high-scoring ground, and the team that bats first will have a better chance of winning. Pacers at the ground are affected, but the spinners are having a good time, thus making it easy to score a run in the power play overs since the pitch gets flowing as the match goes on. 

India vs Afghanistan T20 Head to Head Records

From 2010 to 2021, India and Afghanistan have gone head to head in two matches. India has won both of the matches. 

Stats	Overall	In the last 5 matches	At this venue	ICC T20 World Cup
Matches Played	2	2	0	2
India won	2	2	0	2
Afghanistan won	0	0	0	0
No result	0	0	0	0

India vs Afghanistan Stats

Highest score against Afghanistan	India – 159
Lowest score against Afghanistan	India – 116
Highest score against India	Afghanistan – 136
Lowest score against India	Afghanistan – 115

Probable Playing XIs

India Squad: Virat Kohli(c), Rishabh Pant(w)/Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy/Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah.

Afghanistan Squad: Mohammad Nabi(c), Mohammad Shahzad(w), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Naveen-ul-Haq,Usman Ghani, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Hazratullah Zazai, Karim Janat/ Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Hamid Hassan.

Team Strengths and Weaknesses

India: The batters show a mediocre performance, and the bowlers will have to work extra hard to cover for it. Players to keep an eye on are skipper Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Hardik Pandya. Players likely to struggle with the ball are Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shardul Thakur.

Afghanistan: The batting department is firm, and the bowlers are exceptional. They will shudder their opponent’s batting lineup. Players to watch are Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, and Mohammad Shahzad. Also, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Rashid Khan are hoped to be phenomenal with their spins.

Final Words

That’s our perspective in regards to this match. Whichever team wins don’t mean that the cricket action comes to a stop. They will have to face powerful teams to get through to a title win. Place your bets on the winning team and win huge cash prizes; here is a list of India’s best cricket betting sites. Check them out!