Ahead of the 1st IND vs AFG T20I series, Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott addressed the absence of their star performer Rashid Khan in the side. The prolific spinner will miss the T20s due to a surgery he had recently, thereby exposing the fairly young Afghan line-up to an experienced India.
Will Rashid Khan’s absence be felt at IND vs AFG?
Speaking to Jio Cinema ahead of the 1st T20 in Mohali, Trott opined that Rashid’s absence would give an opportunity to other players in the team. The coach added that while the spin wizard was an excellent leader, it would be interesting to see which other players put their hands up in the absence of Rashid and take responsibility. He noted that it would be crucial to see the response ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
“I believe, with Rashid out of the side, it’s a good opportunity for other players to come in and step up and become household names like he is. Obviously, we are going to miss a player like Rashid, his leadership and the overall package he brings to the side. But it’ll be good to see who is going to stand up and take responsibility and pressure, just a couple of months after the World Cup,” Trott said.
India Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), S Gill, Y Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, W Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar