Kohli's return in focus as India look to seal series in Indore

A number of things went India’s way in the first T20I in Mohali. They were challenged at various points in the game but still emerged victorious quite comfortably, clinching a six-wicket win with 15 balls to spare. Shivam Dube’s all-round contribution was the biggest positive for the hosts. 

From the cold and gloomy Mohali, the series now moves to the warmer central India regions of Indore. With only two T20Is left before the World Cup, India certainly don’t have enough game time to fine tune their plans. However, that is the case with every side given a gap of only eight months between the 50-over and the upcoming 20-over World Cup. In that regard, the remaining two T20Is against a tricky opposition like Afghanistan is India’s only chance at getting a half-decent answer. 

Afghanistan, on the other hand, will hope to do more than just test the Men in Blue, especially with the bat where they have fallen behind more often than not. 

Things to watch out for

Kohli returns, Rohit yet to score in the series

In Mohali, the eyes were on Rohit Sharma, returning to the T20I setup after the 2022 World Cup semi-final in Australia. It wasn’t a happy return for Rohit. The skipper dropped a tough catch at short cover and was run-out for a second ball duck in a mix-up with his opening partner. 

In Indore, the focus will be on the other senior player, the elephant in the room, that is, Virat Kohli. The 35-year old missed the first T20I due to personal reasons, but like Rohit, Kohli is also returning to the T20I setup since that semi-final defeat roughly 15 months ago. 

The remaining two T20Is will go a long way in deciding Rohit and Kohli’s presence in India’s T20 World Cup squad, slated to be picked in around three months' time. Their dash for the World Cup begins here and will go into the first half of the IPL. 

Rohit will take confidence from his highest T20I score, 118 from 43 balls that came at this venue, while Kohli will draw positivity from his last outing against Afghanistan where he scored an unbeaten 122 during the 2022 Asia Cup. 

Afghanistan need to pick up the ante

After the defeat in Mohali, Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran stated they were 13-15 runs short. Since 2022, Afghanistan have the lowest run rate in T20Is - 7.3. 

In the powerplay, they go lower, scoring at only 6.9 runs per over. In Mohali, they went didn’t lose a wicket in the powerplay but still scored at only 5.5. Both their openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Zadran have a high dot ball percentage in this phase - 47.1% and 55.4% respectively. 

In a high-scoring venue like Indore, where their spinners will be at the risk of traveling the distance, the batters will be under the pressure to up the ante. 

Ground Details and Conditions

Indore’s Holkar Stadium can be a graveyard for bowlers given its small square field area. As a result, two of the three T20Is played here have seen 220+ scores in the first innings. 9.8 has been the average run-rate across these three games and spinners have been carted at 10.2 runs per over. 

Overall, the venue has hosted 14 T20s since 2022, including the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games. 11 of those matches were won by the side batting second. The average first innings score in these fixtures has been 153 but the average winning score is 188. The numbers clearly showcase how important the first innings can be at Holkar. 

Tactical Nous

> Afghanistan like to bowl Mujeeb Ur Rahman upfront but keeping his overs for Dube could be a handy strategy. Dube was the player of the match in Mohali, scoring an unbeaten 60 off 40 deliveries. Mujeeb was the only spinner to restrain Dube, conceding only one run off the eight deliveries he bowled to him. 

> Axar Patel could be a good match-up bowler against Mohammad Nabi. In T20Is since 2022, Nabi averages only 27 against left-arm orthodox spinners at a strike rate of 75. 

Probable XIs

India

Kohli is set to return to the XI, most likely replacing Tilak Varma. Yashasvi Jaiswal was supposed to open in Mohali but was deemed unfit on the matchday. With no news on him, it remains to be seen who opens with Rohit. 

Also, India may refrain from playing three spinners in Indore. 

Rohit Sharma ( c ), Yashasvi Jaiswal/Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi/Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar 

Afghanistan

The need for quick runs may tempt Afghanistan to bring Hazratullah Zazai in the XI. If fit to play, he can replace Rahmat Shah. 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai/Rahmat Shah, Ibrahim Zadran ( c ), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Fazalhaq Farooqui, Naveen-Ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman