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It’s an exciting day as the three-match T20I series between India and Afghanistan begins today at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.
The two teams will be without their star men in Virat Kohli and Rashid Khan, respectively, although India will be without Kohli’s services only for the first game as opposed to Rashid, who is set to miss the entire series.
This game promises to be a mouth-watering encounter between the top-ranked T20I team and a team that no longer carries the ‘pushovers’ tag with them. The Afghans showed everyone at the 2023 World Cup that they have the ability to beat the best on a given day.
All eyes, though, will be on Rohit Sharma, who is back at the captain of the Indian T20I team for the first time since November 10, 2022, when India played against England in the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
While India are the clear favourites to go 1-0 ahead in the series, write Afghanistan off at your own peril. They are a talented side and they will not be scared to topple their opposition. Who are you supporting today?
Bet here on India vs Afghanistan and other cricket matches!
IND vs AFG 1st T20I: LIVE updates, scores, and results
Welcome to the Live Blog for the 1st T20I between India and Afghanistan in Mohali.
7:37 PM – WICKET!!! What is happening here in Mohali? It’s Shivam Dube who has been brought into the attack, starts the over with a beauty and then gets the wicket of the Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran, who smashes the ball straight to Rohit Sharma at cover. Both openers are now back into the hut now. Ibrahim c Rohit b Dube 25(22), AFG 50-2 (8.2)
7:35 PM – WICKET!!! The opening has been broken, and it’s Axar Patel who gives India the breakthrough. Gurbaz was struggling a bit and he slaloms down the pitch to take on Axar, but the slow left-armer drags back the length a tad bit and doesn’t turn the ball. Jitesh Sharma with some excellent glove work removed the bails and the 50-run stand has been broken. Gurbaz st Jitesh b Axar 23(28), AFG 50-1 (8)
7:28 PM – END OF POWERPLAY, AFG 33-0 (6): A very cautious start by the Afghan openers as they could manage just 33 runs. Credit to the Indian bowlers and Rohit for rotating the bowlers smartly as they haven’t allowed Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran to break the shackles. However, the visitors will be delighted to end the powerplay unscathed.
7:00 PM – Alright. The players are done with the national anthems. The crowd is lively and it’s only going to add to the fervour this evening. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and stand-in skipper Ibrahim Zadran walk out to the middle. Left-armer Arshdeep Singh will open the bowling. Here we go!
IND vs AFG: PCA Stadium pitch report
PCA Stadium has hosted just six T20Is so far, with the average 1st innings score being 183. It has been a high-scoring venue which favours the chasing team as they have won four of the six games here.
Now, this game between India and Afghanistan will be played under floodlights on a cold evening in Mohali. Expect there to be the impact of dew as the game progresses, but also expect a lot of batting fireworks, even though the square boundaries are relatively longer.
IND vs AFG: Lineups
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar
Afghanistan Playing XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
IND vs AFG: Toss
India have won the toss and have opted to field first.
MORE: Why is Virat Kohli not playing in the first T20I?
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