In preparation for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June, India will rely on the services of their two greatest batting talents, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, to guide them to victory in a home Twenty20 cricket series against Afghanistan. But Kohli will only participate in the second and third matches, as he is unable to participate in the first for “personal reasons,” according to India’s coach Rahul Dravid.
India-Afghanistan T20 cricket series preview
Sharma will lead the team into the three-match series commencing on Thursday. This comes less than two months after he guided the cricket-obsessed nation to an undefeated home run that culminated in a 50-over World Cup final defeat at the hands of Australia. After the one-day international (ODI) World Cup, middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav assumed captaincy responsibilities in both of India’s Twenty20 series. He guided the team to a 4-1 home victory against Australia and a 1-1 draw in the three-match away series against South Africa.
However, following an extended absence from T20 internationals, Sharma will return to the helm. Yadav, who is undergoing recovery from ankle surgery, and Hardik Pandya, the former Twenty20 captain of India, both remain sidelined due to ongoing recovery from injuries sustained during the World Cup.
Both Kohli and Sharma did not participate in a Twenty20 international match since November 2022. When India was eliminated in the semifinals of the T20 World Cup in Australia by England. In the interim, Afghanistan’s most prominent player, Rashid Khan, will be sidelined due to his recovery from back surgery. has sidelined him since the World Cup in India. Khan, according to Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran, is “not entirely fit” but is accompanying the squad on its journey.
