T20 World Cup 2021: "Afghanistan do have the balance to trouble India" - Brad Hogg
Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has outlined the threat that Afghanistan poses to India ahead of their crucial group stage encounter.
Both teams sit in precarious situations in the table, with India having lost both their contests and Afghanistan still having their games against the big guns remaining.
Breaking: @sharafashraf82 has replaced @MAsgharAfghan in the Afghanistan squad for the T20WC2021. The decision was made following the retirement of Mr. Afghan, as he decided to quit international cricket after the Namibia game. https://t.co/tWyAKjMo9S
Hogg noted that the eight overs of spin by Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Rashid Khan spread across the innings will be vital. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Hogg said:
"Afghanistan have a reasonable batting lineup and they bat really deep and have 2 spinners that can really cause problems. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman bowling in the powerplay and the early overs of that 10-over period .Then Rashid bowling in the middle overs and towards the death.
"Hopefully, Mujeeb is fit for tonight's contest. So, they do have the balance to trouble India in that particular department. Also, they know that India are under trouble."
I’m super excited about tomorrow’s AFGvIND game. I was disappointed at the scenes last weekend; we need to fly our national flag 🇦🇫 high & do our country proud. Pls respect rules & support the organisers @ICC @T20WorldCup @AbuDhabiCricket, only coming to the stadium with a ticket https://t.co/GXsf1vSoiR
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman missed the team's fixture against Namibia. He was not deemed fit to play and his place in the playing XI was taken by Hamid Hassan.
The young mystery spinner has picked up six wickets in two matches at an economy of 4.25. He had picked up a fifer in their first group contest against Scotland.
Afghanistan clash marks a do-or-die contest for India
Following two hefty losses, India have to secure a win against Afghanistan to remain alive in the tournament. They will have to win the rest of their matches and hope for other results to turn in their favor to finish in second place in the group.
India have faced Afghanistan twice in T20 World Cups before and have emerged victorious on both occasions. While the Afghanistan team are yet to topple India in a match, they have made the Men in Blue work hard in their matchups during the 2018 Asia Cup and the 2019 World Cup.
The two sides from Asia will face off against each other under the lights in Abu Dhabi tonight (November 3).