Team India is squaring off against Afghanistan in their second match of the ongoing ODI World Cup at the Arun Jaitley stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday, October 11. The contest is expected to be an engaging showdown, given the dynamics of Afghanistan's spin mastery versus the might of India's batting lineup. Moreover, many players from both sides share camaraderies and rivalries due to their associations with the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season, further intensifying the on-pitch atmosphere. Meanwhile all-eyes will be on Virat Kohli versus Naveen-ul-Haq face-off as the duo is set to cross path with each other, this time in a different atmosphere and a different set-up
Former India's star batter and 2007 T20 World Cup winner Robin Uthappa, while discussing the India versus Afghanistan match on his YouTube channel, highlighted some ‘mini-battles’ that fans can anticipate.
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"Mujeeb Ur Rahman against Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan will be one. Fazalhaq Farooqi against India's top-order. Naveen-ul-Haq vs Virat Kohli will be an interesting matchup. They have had a history, but it's good to see them going head-to-head against each other. I would like to see Rashid Khan vs KL Rahul as well," Uthappa said while speaking on his YouTube channel," remarked Uthappa.
However, a significant update from the Indian camp is the unavailability of Shubman Gill for the Afghanistan contest. Following the India vs Australia match, Gill was hospitalised in Chennai and was later discharged on 10 October. While he is prepping to join the team for the India vs Pakistan game in Ahmedabad on October 14, Uthappa shared his insights on the challenges of Gill's return.
Speaking from personal experience, Uthappa commented on the difficulties of recuperating from dengue, "We are hoping he recovers quickly and returns to the team. However, it isn't easy to make a comeback after suffering from dengue. I have gone through it myself, and it does get a bit difficult physically. We are hoping that it hasn't affected his body a lot. When you recover from dengue, you experience some pain in your bones," Uthappa said.
India are heading to this match with a confidence booster, having recently clinched a victory against Australia. Afghanistan, on the other hand, are eager to make a statement following their previous game against Bangladesh.
Talking about the match, Afghanistan have won the toss and elected to bat first. Meanwhile India skipper Rohit Sharma dropped R Ashwin to bring back Shardul Thakur in team's final XI
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
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