India opts to bat first against Afghanistan in T20 World Cup
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) — Rohit Sharma called correctly at the coin toss and opted for India to bat first against Afghanistan in their Super Eight match in the Twenty20 World Cup on Thursday.
India made one change after beating the United States, bringing in left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and leaving out pacer Mohammed Siraj.
Afghanistan also made one change after losing to co-host the West Indies; bowling allrounder Karim Jannat was left out and batter Hazratullah Zazai brought in.
The pitch at Kensington Oval will be vastly different from what India encountered on Long Island. Batters should enjoy the conditions in Barbados.
The morning start for Indian television prime time might put the bowlers in the early focus, but evening dew will not impact the game.
Unbeaten India topped its group with wins against Pakistan, Ireland and the U.S. Its other game against Canada was washed out.
Afghanistan qualified for the second round for the first time. It was second in its group after beating New Zealand, Uganda and Papua New Guinea while losing to the West Indies.
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Lineups:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (captain), Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket