Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced a 19-member squad for the three-T20I series against India. Ibrahim Zadran will lead Afghanistan in the T20I series as Rashid Khan might not play a single game as he is yet to recover after back surgery.
Afghanistan opener recently led Afghanistan to a 2-1 series victory over UAE. Meanwhile, Mujeeb Ur Rahman has returned to the T20I squad after missing the series against UAE. Mujeeb was recently among three players whose NOC was revoked by the ACB for giving preference to franchise cricket over national duty.
Also, wicketkeeper-batter Ikram Alikhil has been added to the squad. He was in the reserves during the series against the UAE.
“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 Mirwais Ashraf said in the media release.
The three-T20I series against Afghanistan will begin on January 11 in Mohali. The second T20I will be played in Indore on January 14 followed by the final T20I in Bengaluru on January 17.
Afghanistan and India have gone up against each other five times in T20Is. One ended in no result whereas India won four games. India's last win over Afghanista in T20Is came in T20 Asia Cup. Virat Kohli scored his maiden century opening the innings and helped India win the match by 101 runs.
Afghanistan’s full T20I squad: 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.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
