IND vs AFG Live: India face spin test in Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman & Nabi – Team India will face Afghanistan on Wednesday hoping to turn their fortunes around in the T20 World Cup. Virat Kohli and Co. have lost both their games so far and remain in contention for the semis by the barest of margins. The Men in Blue have so far struggled on the slow pitches against spinners, and Afghanistan boast perhaps the bet spin trio in the tournament, with Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Mohammed Nabi all posing a threat to the Indian batting order.
IND vs AFG Live: Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman & Nabi pose big threat to Virat Kohli & Co after struggling against spinners
India have struggled against spin in the T20 World Cup, and the game against Afghanistan will pit the Men in Blue up against Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman and Mohammed Nabi. The trio, who play for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, have grown accustomed to the conditions in the UAE with Afghanistan also playing a lot of cricket in the gulf nation over the last few years. Furthermore, Nabi and Co. faced Namibia in Abu Dhabi in their last game and will be facing India at the same venue.
Rashid Khan is ranked third in the ICC T20I rankings for bowlers, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman is fifth in the same rankings. Mohammed Nabi meanwhile is No.2 in the all-rounder rankings, making them a sizeable threat in Abu Dhabi. Furthermore, the trio’s variety means that India will have to be at their very best, with Mujeeb’s mystery spin complemented by Rashid Khan’s leg-break and Nabi’s off-spin.
I’m super excited about tomorrow’s AFGvIND game. I was disappointed at the scenes last weekend; we need to fly our national flag 🇦🇫 high & do our country proud. Pls respect rules & support the organisers @ICC @T20WorldCup @AbuDhabiCricket, only coming to the stadium with a ticket pic.twitter.com/GXsf1vSoiR
— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) November 2, 2021
Rashid Khan is the fastest to 100 T20I wickets and only the fourth bowler to reach the mark. He is the leading taker for Afghanistan while Nabi is second, having picked up 73 wickets in T20Is. Mujeeb meanwhile has 31 wickets in 21 games and picked up a five-wicket haul against Scotland earlier in the T20 World Cup.
IND vs AFG Live: Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman & Nabi pose big threat to Virat Kohli & Co after struggling against spinners
India struggled against Mitchell Stantner and Ish Sodhi on Sunday, scoring just 32 runs of their eight overs, with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma falling prey to the leg spinner. Against Pakistan, Shadab Khan, Mohammed Hafeez and Imad Wasim combined for eight overs, in which India managed just 44 runs, with Rishabh Pant falling prey to Khan.
The Indian batsmen, particularly Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, have struggled against spin in the middle overs, and have strike rate close to 100 when facing spin. Kohli has a strike rate of 123 when facing spin in international T20s, and has been dismissed 17 times. Rohit Sharma meanwhile has a slightly better strike rate of 127, but has lost his wicket 25 times.
