11.05 PM Thursday, 28 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:57 06:11 12:27 15:53 18:37 19:51
28 March 2024

World T20, Match Preview: Experimenting Dhoni loses Afghan plot

Afghanistan's cricket captain Nawroz Mangal (L) stretches with teammates during a training session in Colombo on September 18, 2012. (AFP)

Published
By Roopesh Raj

India need to be very careful paying Afghanistan.

Shapoor Zadran and Dawlat Zadran are new-ball bowlers who the world will take notice of after this T20, we predict.

They bowl hard and fast and accurate and despite Sri Lanka’s placid pitches, will be dangerous.

Karim Sadiq, wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad, Mohammad Nabi and skipper Nawroz Mangal are no mugs with the bat.

In fact, the one thing India need to guard against is over-experimenting in this first game.

And that is exactly what Mahendra Singh Dhoni is considering doing.

Instead, India should bat first and look to bat Afghanistan out of the game with a 200-plus score.

Irfan Pathan, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh all went for more than 10 runs an over against Pakistan in the warm-up game.

"Bowling has always been a bit of a concern. If you compare our batting to our bowling, we find the bowling slightly weaker than the batting," Dhoni told reporters.

"We will try different strategies and different field settings, so that you can complement our way of bowling."

 "We are looking to play with seven batsmen to start up the tournament and that means the part-timers will have to do a really good job," he said.

That is why Dhoni should probably not play Bhajji.

 "Otherwise, as the tournament progresses and if we still find our bowling line is bit too week, we will have to go with six batters and five bowlers."

Afghanistan have nothing to lose. India have it all to prove.

Verdict: India to win, Afghan to go down fighting

ALSO READ:

World T20 Match Preview, Australia vs Ireland: