India will be hoping for a more comfortable outing when they take on Afghanistan in their second match of the Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, October 12.
India kicked off their World Cup campaign with a thrilling win over Australia, but they were made to work hard for it. Afghanistan, on the other hand, lost their opening match to Bangladesh by a comfortable margin.
The pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium is expected to be flat and batting-friendly, which could give India a slight edge. However, Afghanistan will be looking to bounce back from their defeat and put on a better show against India.
India’s batting prowess
India have one of the strongest batting line-ups in the world. They are led by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of the greatest batsmen of all time. Sharma is in excellent form, having scored a century in India’s opening match against Australia. Kohli will be looking to get back to his best form in the World Cup, and a match against Afghanistan could be the perfect opportunity for him to do so.
India also have a number of other talented batsmen in their line-up, including KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Hardik Pandya. If India’s batsmen can fire on all cylinders, they will be very difficult to beat.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s form
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the two key batsmen in India’s batting line-up. Sharma is in excellent form, having scored a century in India’s opening match against Australia. Kohli, on the other hand, has been struggling for form in recent months. However, he is a world-class batsman and is always capable of scoring big runs.
If Sharma and Kohli can both score runs against Afghanistan, it will be very difficult for Afghanistan to win the match.
Afghanistan’s bowling attack
Afghanistan have a decent bowling attack, led by Rashid Khan. Khan is one of the best spinners in the world and he will be a big threat to India’s batsmen. Afghanistan also have a few other good bowlers, such as Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
However, Afghanistan’s bowling attack is not as strong as India’s batting line-up. If India’s batsmen can play carefully, they should be able to score a big total against Afghanistan.
Rashid Khan’s threat
Rashid Khan is the biggest threat in Afghanistan’s bowling attack. He is one of the best spinners in the world and he will be a big threat to India’s batsmen.
Khan has a lot of experience of playing in India and he knows how to bowl on Indian pitches. He will be looking to get some early wickets and put India under pressure.
Conclusion:
India will be hoping for a more comfortable outing when they take on Afghanistan in their second match of the Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday, October 12.
India have a stronger batting line-up than Afghanistan, but Afghanistan have a decent bowling attack led by Rashid Khan.
If India’s batsmen can play carefully, they should be able to score a big total against Afghanistan. However, they will need to be wary of Rashid Khan, who will be a big threat.
Additional information:
- India and Afghanistan have played each other 11 times in ODIs, with India winning all 11 matches.
- India’s highest score against Afghanistan in ODIs is 474/4, which they scored in 2019.
- Afghanistan’s highest score against India in ODIs is 234/6, which they scored in 2018.
Prediction:
India are the clear favorites to win the match against Afghanistan. They have a stronger batting line-up and a more experienced bowling attack. However, Afghanistan will be looking to bounce back from their defeat to Bangladesh and put on a better show against India.
I predict that India will win the match by a comfortable margin.