3 things Afghanistan can do to beat India in the 2023 World Cup
Team India are scheduled to face Afghanistan in their next 2023 ODI World Cup league-stage match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday.
The Men in Blue got their campaign off to a winning start with a six-wicket win over Australia and will be looking to make it two wins in two.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, endured a disappointing start to their ODI World Cup journey. The Hasmatullah Shahidi-led side lost to Bangladesh in a tame fashion in Dharamshala and are still in search of their first-ever win ODI World Cup win as well as a victory against India in the format.
Team India are expected to be without the services of Shubman Gill for this encounter as he continues to recover from a bout of dengue. The Men in Blue will also be contemplating a change to their playing XI, especially regarding the third spinner for the upcoming clash.
Toppling the two-time ODI World Cup champions on their own soil will be a huge ask, but if Afghanistan play their cards right, it certainly won't be out of reach.
On that note, let us take a look at things Afghanistan can do to beat India in the 2023 World Cup.
#1 Spin trio must align together
Afghanistan's biggest strength is clearly their spin bowling department, much like in the past. The team could profit immensely when they find a surface that aids spin for the trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi to operate freely.
Even though teams have tried the conservative approach against Rashid in the shortest format, the demand has required the batters to find quick scoring options at some stage or the other.
However, the batters have the luxury of seeing off the leg-spinner in the ODI format in spin-friendly conditions, which is why the ace bowler will have to find an option to penetrate the batters' defense.
During the clash against Bangladesh, Rashid ended up wicketless while conceding 48 runs. He would also hope to bring an improvement to his overall World Cup numbers. The 2019 edition of the tournament taking place in England did not help his case at all as he only took six wickets in nine matches.
Mujeeb ur Rahman is an excellent prospect as well as he can also bowl with the new ball. The spinner had caused India trouble in the first powerplay in the last World Cup and could inflict similar damage this time around as well.
He has a solid match-up record against India skipper Rohit Sharma and also has a left-handed batter in Ishan Kishan to operate against.
#2 Other batters will have to step up and assist Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Much like their spin department is among the best in the tournament, Afghanistan's middle order is arguably the weakest. Their performance against Bangladesh was a perfect statement as to why their middle order needs work.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has carried the batting on most occasions in the recent past, and while he is expected to carry on with his rich vein of form, he needs support from the other end.
Afghanistan cannot afford to lose wickets in clusters like they did earlier in the tournament. They were well placed at 112-2 at the halfway mark of the innings, but collapsed to 156 all out, with Gurbaz top-scoring with 47 runs.
Skipper Hasmatullah Shahidi, along with the likes of Rahmat Shah and Najibullah Zadran will have to step up to provide stability in the middle overs.
#3 Try to keep a hold of momentum
Afghanistan were on point with both the bat and ball at the start of their loss against Bangladesh, but just lost their way through.
As mentioned before, they collapsed from a well-placed situation, and could not make the most of the momentum that they had attained on the back of their top-order batters. They will have to stretch their prowess across longer spells, preferably to 50 overs. While slight dips are a regular feature in the format, they must ensure that it does not lead to further damage.
Even with the ball, the Afghans did manage to claim early wickets, to reduce Bangladesh to 27-2. However, they could not make any further inroads and a dropped catch was the last straw as the opposition batters got settled and chased down the target easily.
Afghanistan will have to ensure that they do not repeat such mistakes, given that there will be little room to do so against a dominant opposition in the form of India.
Will Afghanistan cook up an upset against India early on in the 2023 ODI World Cup? Let us know what you think.