3 Afghanistan players who can cause major worry to India in 2023 World Cup clash ft. Rashid Khan
Having begun their 2023 World Cup with a comprehensive win over Australia, India will look to make it two out of two when they face Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday.
The Men in Blue did most things right in their tournament opener in Chennai despite being given a scare at the start of their chase of 200. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were the stars of the show with the bat but it was a collective bowling effort that saw them roll Australia over cheaply.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, were brushed aside by Bangladesh in Dharamsala and are seeking just their second win in all ODI World Cups. If the surface during the South Africa-Sri Lanka contest in Delhi was anything to go by, their task would not get any easier against the might of the Indian unit.
Having said that, the Afghans certainly possess match-winners of their own who can pull a rabbit out of the hat and upset the Indian apple cart on Tuesday.
Ahead of Afghanistan's quest for a first win in the 2023 World Cup, we look at three players in their side who India will do well to be wary of:
#1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz
The dashing wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz is Afghanistan's most reliable bet up top in order to get the team off to a good start. More often than not, the team's chances of posting a decent score hinge directly on his returns, with his early dismissal leaving the rest with far too much to do.
It is but a fair reflection of the match-winner that Gurbaz has developed into. He was the only Afghan batter who looked in good nick during their 2023 World Cup opener against Bangladesh and will have to set the tone once again on what could be a belter of a track in Delhi.
Negating India's potent new ball combination in Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will take some doing. If anyone can though, it is Gurbaz. And that is something India will do well to take note of given that he can land punches on a regular basis and have them scratching their heads should they not get past him early.
#2 Fazalhaq Farooqi
Left-arm swing has often been the Achilles heel as far as India's top order is concerned. In Fazalhaq Farooqi, Afghanistan have an exciting bolter to exploit that weakness in their 2023 World Cup clash on Wednesday.
Mitchell Starc got the ball to shape away from Ishan Kishan and he forced a false stroke out of the very first ball the left-hander faced. Skipper Rohit Sharma has had well-documented issues himself against the incoming delivery and Farooqi's ability to curve it back in while also getting it to skid off the deck holds him in strong stead ahead of this contest.
While India will feel confident ahead of this game, that score of 2/3 against Australia will linger somewhere at the back of their mind. With no Shubman Gill to call upon, Farooqi can get some of those scars to resurface should he get his radar on the money and make early inroads on Wednesday.
#3 Rashid Khan
Surprised much? Every team facing Rashid Khan is bound to be wary of him. Team India have seen a lot of him over the years in the IPL and yet, his variations have been incredibly hard to decode.
After an off day against Bangladesh, Rashid will be keen to set the record straight in Delhi as Afghanistan look to get off the mark in the 2023 World Cup. Given that India's batting order wears a rather one-dimensional look in terms of the number of right-handers with the two left-handers in Ishan Kishan and Ravindra Jadeja having documented struggles against spin, Rashid will fancy his chances.
His specialty lies in the fact that he doesn't need the pitch to assist him in making a mark. Oh, there's the added factor of what he can do with the bat too, and on the back of letting Australia get to 199 despite having them on 140/7 in Chennai, it is something India will do well to be wary of lest a few helicopter shots blow them out of the water.
Can Afghanistan spring a surprise on India at the 2023 World Cup on Wednesday? Have your say in the comments section below!