After remaining unbeaten in the group stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, the Indian team's entourage will now shift bases from the United States of America to the West Indies, for the Super 8 cmatches.
The first destination for the 2007 champions will be the Kensington Oval in Barbados, where they will lock horns with Rashid Khan-led Afghanistan on Thursday, 20 June.
India have faced Afghanis eight times in men’s T20Is and have never lost to them in the shortest format of the game. Considering how they have played so far, it will not be a surprise if they are to extend that unbeaten streak.
However, Afghanistan will come in with momentum and confidence, having decimated New Zealand, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea in their group-stage matches.
Notably, Afghanistan's debut T20 World Cup match was also against India in the Caribbean in 2010. Now, fourteen years later, as the two Asian sides gear up to kick off their Super 8 campaign, let’s take a look at the five major talking points of the match:
1. Rohit-Virat or Rohit-Yashasvi as Openers?
While India have remained unbeaten in the tournament, their top-order struggles have been evident. Virat Kohli, who typically bats at number three for the Indian team, has been opening alongside captain Rohit Sharma, but without much success. Against the USA, Kohli was dismissed for a golden duck by pacer Saurabh Netravalkar. Earlier, against Pakistan, he scored just 4 runs off 3 balls. In India’s opener against Ireland, he managed only 1 run off 5 balls.
Although pitches in the Caribbean are not as harsh on the batters as they were in New York, it might be a strategic decision to return Kohli to his preferred number three position to stabilise the innings, and have Yashasvi Jaiswal open with Rohit in his debut T20 World Cup.
Notably, Jaiswal scored a 34-ball 63 against Afghanistan in his last T20I and opened in all 16 T20Is he played leading up to the IPL.
2. Should India Continue With Shivam Dube?
In case India decide to Yashasvi Jaiswal as an opener, Shivam Dube's place in the team will be jeopardised.
During the league stages, Dube was included as a pace-bowling all-rounder, but he didn’t bowl in the first two games and was given only one over against the USA, where he conceded a six and a four. With the bat, he scored only 9 runs off 13 balls against Pakistan, although he did manage a 35-ball 31 against the USA.
Considering India already have six bowling options already and with the West Indian pitches favoring spinners, his place in the playing XI might not be set in stone.
3. Mohammed Siraj or Arshdeep Singh?
With the Caribbean pitches favoring spinners, a change in India's bowling combination seems to be inevitable. Conditions in New York were more favorable for fast bowlers, which meant that neither Kuldeep Yadav nor Yuzvendra Chahal featured in any of the group-stage matches.
For Thursday’s game, however, one pacer might have to make way. It could be Mohammed Siraj, considering how Arshdeep Singh has performed so far in this competition.
The 23-year-old has already shown his mettle in the tournament. He began with an impressive performance against Ireland, dismissing their openers for single-digit scores. He then defended the total in a crucial last over against Pakistan and recorded the best bowling figures by an Indian in a T20 World Cup game against the USA, finishing with 4-0-9-4.
In contrast, Siraj has struggled in this tournament, managing to take only one wicket so far.
4. Who Amongst Kul-Cha?
While India opting for an additional spinner seems to be a foregone conclusion, the question now is – will it be Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal? Kuldeep's ability to offer control over the flow of runs whilst also being a wicket-taking threat makes him a frontrunner.
He is coming off a successful IPL stint, where he took 16 wickets in 11 games at an economy of 8.65. While Chahal got more wickets (18 from 15 games), his higher economy rate of 9.41 makes Kuldeep the preferred choice.
During the opening practice session, Kuldeep was spotted having an extended bowling stint, bowling to both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who practiced slog sweep against the left-arm wrist spinner.
5. Will Both Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja Play?
India boasts two left-arm orthodox spinners in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. While they both offer batting cover as well, in case India decide to opt for both Yadav and Chahal, one might have to make way.
Who could that be?
So far, Jadeja has gone wicketless in India's three matches, and his batting has also been underwhelming. In contrast, Axar Patel has performed better in both departments. When the top order struggled against Pakistan, Axar was promoted up the order and he lived up to the expectation by scoring a crucial 20 off 18 balls, while Jadeja was dismissed for a golden duck. On the bowling front, Axar has taken 3 wickets.
Additionally, Axar has performed well in the West Indies, conceding only 46 runs at an economy rate of 7.67 in three T20Is. In the 2024 IPL, he took 11 wickets at a slightly better economy rate compared to Jadeja's eight.
Hence, should one of them be axed, it is unlikely to be Axar.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)