Game 9: Afghanistan Takes the Initiative, Chooses to Bat First
In a strategic move, Afghanistan’s captain Hashmatullah Shahidi decided to bat first in Delhi. His aim was to establish a solid score for his team and then rely on his bowlers to maintain the lead.
India’s Rohit Sharma expressed his preference for batting second, citing the presence of dew during their training session. He was confident that the pitch conditions would remain consistent throughout the second half of the innings.
While Afghanistan fielded the same team that played against Bangladesh in Dharamsala, India introduced Shardul Thakur, replacing Ravichandran Ashwin.
With this change, the Indian team now boasts four pace bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur.
Currently, India holds the fourth position on the Cricket World Cup points table, while Afghanistan is in ninth place.
Team Line-ups:
India:
Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Afghanistan:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi