Welcome to Sportstar‘s LIVE coverage of the T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 match between India and Afghanistan. This is Santadeep Dey, bringing you all the action as it unfolds at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

IND vs AFG LIVE COMMENTARY

Stay tuned! The live coverage begins at 7-30PM*.

IND vs AFG PLAYING XI

To be announced at 7PM*.

IND vs AFG TOSS

Scheduled for 7PM*.

IND vs AFG PREVIEW

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, was called the sleeping giant in the startup business ecosystem till not so long ago. It will be interesting to see if the sleeping giant of the ICC T20 World Cup – Team India – wake up at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

After the loss to New Zealand in Dubai, India skipper Virat Kohli said the batters were not brave enough. It will not be easy this time around as well. Keeping in mind the fall of Kabul and the political turmoil that hampered preparations, Afghanistan has been a competitive side in the T20 World Cup.

In recent times, Afghanistan has emerged as one of the most fearless cricket teams in the international T20 arena. Not only did it secure direct qualification to the World Cup but has also notched up the highest total of the tournament (190) so far in its first game.

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The burly Afghan batters will be itching to deploy the long handle against a bowling line-up that has only one wicket-taker so far. India struggled against the New Zealand spinners, which will make Rashid Khan and Co. confident heading into the game.

It will also be interesting to see if Hardik Pandya fits into the squad and Suryakumar Yadav returns, along with Ishan Kishan. The experiment to let Ishan open with K.L. Rahul failed against the Kiwis. The rejigged middle-order could not deliver either. It remains to be seen if India sticks to any of the two previous combinations.

The bowling group has had its back against the wall. Jasprit Bumrah had little support. Varun Chakaravarthy failed to deceive either Pakistan or New Zealand batters with his mystery spin. India could field leg-spinner Rahul Chahar or veteran off-spinner R. Ashwin against the Afghans.

The road to the semifinal is all but blocked. A win on Wednesday can help the fans and statisticians keep their interest alive in India’s campaign.

– Amol Karhadkar

IND vs AFG PREDICTED XI

India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Hamid Hassan, Naveen Ul Haq

IND vs AFG DREAM11 PREDICTION

Wicketkeeper – Mohammad Shahzad

Batters – Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul (c), Najibullah Zadran

All-rounders – Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Nabi

Bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah, Rashid Khan (vc), Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Mohammad Shami

Team Composition: IND 6-5 AFG Credits left: 0.5

IND vs AFG WIN PREDICTION

India (77%)

IND vs AFG HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS

Span: 2010-2021

Matches: 2

Won: India – 2, Afghanistan – 0

In T20 WCs: India – 2, Afghanistan – 0

Highest Score (IND) vs AFG: 159

Lowest Score (IND) vs AFG: 116

Highest Score (AFG) vs IND: 136

Lowest Score (AFG) vs IND: 115

Vikram Rathour: India’s focus only on winning vs Afghanistan, semifinal calculations later