India vs Afghanistan: Top five batsmen to look forward to in the contest
June 14, 2018, will be a historic date in the case of Afghanistan, as far as the sport of cricket is considered. Once considered minnows, Afghanistan can no longer be seen so, as they are all set to make a historic debut in Test cricket, the stage which is considered as the pinnacle of the game. In doing so, Afghanistan becomes the 12th nation to have played red-ball cricket.
And by playing their inaugural test match against current No. 1 team India, the Afghans cannot ask for a more grand way to mark their debut in Tests. The game is slated to begin on June 14th, 2018, and will be played at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
Before we go into the game which is less than a week away, let us take a look at the few important batsmen whose performance will be key to their team's respective efforts.
#1 Lokesh Rahul
India's opening batsman Lokesh Rahul will be a force to reckon, at India's top order. Coming to play with the backing of having had a hugely successful IPL season with the bat, where he top-scored for his team the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Rahul will be full of confidence while facing the likes of Rashid Khan, whom he has already faced in the IPL. Having faced fellow-KXIP team-mate Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the nets gives him yet another advantage. Once Rahul and fellow-opener Murali Vijay click in the beginning of the Indian innings, it will set a proper momentum for the others to follow.
Rahul shares more than his first name with the Indian legend Rahul Dravid; the dogged resistance, the compact, airtight technique, and the unimpeachable focus at the crease are all common factors between the two batting technicians. With age on his side, Rahul can definitely continue to develop as a player and with an all-conditions' technique to go with it, he is an exciting prospect for India's long and challenging overseas season and he would like to reinforce his spot as a long-term option for India as a premier Test opener.
Rahul has 1458 runs in 23 Test matches so far, at an average of 40.02.