"Great opportunity ahead of the T20 World Cup"- Zaheer Khan on India's T20I series against Afghanistan
Zaheer Khan believes that India's upcoming three-match home T20I series will provide a clear picture of the think tank's plans for the all-important 2024 T20 World Cup.
The series against Afghanistan will be India's final T20 assignment ahead of the showpiece event. Zaheer expects Afghanistan to give the hosts a tough fight in the upcoming three matches.
During a discussion on Cricbuzz, Zaheer said:
"It is going to be a very important series, from which we will get an idea of the direction in which India's T20I team is going. It will be a great opportunity ahead of the T20 World Cup. You cannot take Afghanistan lightly in this format, and we have also seen a lot of upsets in T20 cricket. I am quite curious to see the kind of squad the selectors pick for the series."
The T20I series opener between India and Afghanistan is set to be played at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on January 11. It remains to be seen if senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will feature in the rubber or not.
"I look forward to seeing his career graph from here" - Zaheer Khan on Rinku Singh
In the same video, Zaheer Khan mentioned how Rinku Singh has taken giant strides in the early phase of his international career. He suggested that the southpaw will be the player to watch out for from the Indian camp in the series.
Speaking about Afghanistan's squad, the former fast bowler picked ace spinner Rashid Khan as the visitors' best bet against India. He added:
"For Afghanistan, definitely, Rashid Khan's name is always at the top. However, it remains to be seen if he will be completely fit by then. If he is not there, Noor Ahmad could get a chance. Talking about India, Rinku Singh has shown a lot of promise, and I look forward to seeing his career graph from here."
Rashid underwent back surgery last November. He had a decent 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, finishing with 11 wickets from nine outings.