Page 10 - Afghanistan Cricket Team

IND vs AFG: Trott wants bowlers to put pressure on Indians in middle overs

Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott said his bowlers will have to put pressure on Indian batters in the middle-overs for them to be competitive against the home side in the third and final T20I here on Wednesday. Afghanistan are looking to score a consolation win after India won Mohali and Indore matches to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the rubber. India had scaled down targets with consummate ease in the previous two matches. "I will be looking at getting closer to a good 40 overs from us tomorrow. Being able to put some pressure on the Indian side in the middle overs with the ball would be nice. "It's something that we want to get better at if we want to compete at the World Cup (in June). So, plenty to play for at such a historic venue," said Trott in his pre-match press meet on Tuesday. Part of their struggle with the ball has its genesis in the absence of injured Rashid Khan, and Trott said Afghanistan management is giving ample time for the star spinner to recover. "It is a

IND vs AFG 3rd T20 preview: Avesh Khan, Kuldeep likely to play in Bengaluru

With the series already in the bag, India will be eager to perfect their freshly-baked T20 template as a team and hope that skipper Rohit Sharma's bat finally fires when they face Afghanistan in the third and last match of the rubber here on Wednesday. This will be India's final T20 game ahead of the World Cup in June, and the team management wouldn't want any drop in intensity that was displayed during victories at Mohali and Indore. India's identical six-wicket wins were marked by an ultra-aggressive mindset from ball one that saw them chasing down 159 in 17.3 overs and 173 in 15.4 overs respectively. It was a clear deviation from their earlier approach of building the momentum for a final flourish in T20s. None showed this intent more brightly than Shivam Dube and Virat Kohli. Kohli was playing a T20I for India after 14 months at Indore, but he creamed a 16-ball 29 at a strike rate of 181. The most noteworthy feature of his little yet significant innings was the way he handled

IND vs AFG T20: Big-hitting Jaiswal tried to punish all loose balls

Picked to replace the usually swashbuckling but currently out of form Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal made quite a statement with his 34-ball 68 against Afghanistan in the second T20I here and the promising youngster said it was all thanks to the "go out and express yourself" brief from the Indian team management. The 22-year-old's strokeful knock at the top of the order and Shivam Dube's 63 not out off 32 balls, helped India register a six-wicket series-clinching win here on Sunday as the hosts easily chased down the target of 173 with 26 balls to spare. "I have been told to go and express myself and I was trying to do that," Jaiswal said at the post-match conference on Sunday night. "I was trying to punish the loose balls, and was focused to give my team a good start...I was trying to bat as deep as I can. I was trying to keep my strike rate good. I wanted to keep batting with a good strike rate," said the 22-year-old opening batter. Jaiswal, who has played just four Tests and 16

India vs Afghanistan 2nd T20 Highlights: Dube, Jaiswal help IND win series

India vs Afghanistan Highlights, 2nd T20 International: Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube hit fifties to help the Indian team chase down 173 and win the series with one game to go

India vs Afghanistan 2nd T20 Playing 11: Kohli and Jaiswal back for IND

IND vs AFG 2nd T20 Playing 11: Virat Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal came back in the Indian playing 11 while Rahmat Shah was rested for Noor Ahmad in the Afghan playing 11

IND vs AFG 2nd T20 Preview: India eye series win in Indore, Kohli to return

A series win over Afghanistan is still not counted among the grandstand cricketing feats, but a clutch of players will be eager to achieve that here on Sunday in the second T20I as it can transform them into contenders from sidekicks. India had won the first game at Mohali by six wickets to take a 1-0 lead. It is then imperative for Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel to produce a defining effort against the Afghans to keep themselves within the selectors' sight as the move to find a perfect squad for the T20 World Cup has gathered steam. That India will not play another T20I series ahead of the marquee event in June increases the gravitas around their performance against Afghanistan. Jitesh has all the reasons to place himself among the frontrunners as the wicketkeeper batter has overtaken Ishan Kishan in the pecking order since replacing the latter from the fourth T20I against Australia at Raipur last year. The Maharashtra man has struck a couple of useful 30s down t

IND vs AFG: When it happens you feel frustrated - Rohit on mix up with Gill

India skipper Rohit Sharma on Thursday said the team management will consciously put the players in uncomfortable situations ahead of the T20 World Cup in June. The three-match series against Afghanistan is India's last before the T20 World Cup which is scheduled to be hosted by the United States and the West Indies in June. India won the opener by six wickets here. The game marked Rohit's comeback to the shortest format after 14 months. "We want to keep trying different things - try and bowl our bowlers in different situations of the game, like you saw today, Washi (Washington Sundar) bowled the 19th over. We want to challenge ourselves in the areas we are slightly uncomfortable with and the bowlers are not used to that. "We want to try and do that. Keeping all of those things in mind, we'll try and do whatever is possible but not at the cost of the game. We want to make sure that we come out on top and play the game well. All in all, today was a good day for us," he said at the

India vs Afghanistan 1st T20 Highlights: All-round Dube wins it for India

India vs Afghanistan Highlights, 1st T20 international: Shivam Dube's all-round show, where he hit 60 with the bat and took a wicket in two overs with the ball, helped the Men in Blue to a victory

India vs Afghanistan 1st T20 Playing 11: Jaiswal not playing in Mohali

IND vs AFG 1st T20 Playing 11: Jaiswal failed to pull up on the match day and missed the IND vs AFG 1st T20.

IND vs AFG 1st T20 preview: Spotlight only on Rohit after Kohli pulls out

The return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to the T20 format after 14 months will be keenly observed when India face a dangerous Afghanistan in the first ever white-ball series between the two teams, beginning here on Thursday. The three-match contest will be India's last before the T20 World Cup in June, giving the team more clarity on where it stands ahead of the ICC event in Americas. However, the final 15 will be picked on the core group's performance in the IPL, which precedes the World Cup. Rohit and Kohli, now that they are back in the T20 setup, are a certainty in that squad but the accomplished duo would first like to get the most out of the games against Afghanistan. The two India greats are also among the biggest crowd-pullers and their presence on the field would be another reason for the Mohali crowd to brave the prevailing cold wave. Rohit, who will also captain the side, will be expected to carry on with his ultra aggressive approach in the powerplay like he showed

IND vs AFG T20s: Afghan skipper wants others to step up in Rashid's absence

Afghanistan will be without their trump card Rashid Khan in the T20 series against India starting here on Thursday but skipper Ibrahim Zadran was upbeat about the team's chances in their strongest format. The celebrated spinner, who underwent a back surgery after the ODI World Cup in November, has been named in the squad but will not be available for the three games as he undergoes his rehab. "He is not totally fit. He is doing his rehab. We will miss him in the series. Without Rashid there are a few players we trust," said Zadran in the pre-match press conference. "We have many players like Mujeeb (Zadran) who have played a lot of cricket. We have trust in them. We will struggle without Rashid but one should be ready for any kind of situation," he asserted. After ODI World Cup, people expect from us =========================== The performance of Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup in India was among the highlights of the tournament. The team was very much in the running for a semi

IND vs AFG: Here's why Virat Kohli should open with T20 World Cup in focus

Kohli averages 57 in the nine innings as an opener in the T20 international. He has a strike rate of 161.29

IND vs AFG T20s: What to expect from Rohit Sharma's men in 3-match series

Apart from winning the series, India are also expected to check their preparation in all departments in the only series ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024

IND vs AFG: How Shivam Dube entered Team India as Pandya's replacement

Shivam Dube last played for India in the Asian Games 2023 after a terrific IPL 2023. Pandya is out with an injury

Injured Rashid Khan named as player in Afghanistan squad for India series

Rashid Khan is the regular captain of the Afghanistan T20 side but has been named as a player for the three-match T20 series against India

Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott's contract extended for a year

Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott's contract has been extended for a year, the country's cricket board announced, rewarding him for making significant contributions to the team's progress and development. Having taken over as head coach in July 2022, the former England batter's 18-month tenure came to an end in 2023. Under his guidance, Afghanistan achieved remarkable success and secured several victories. This included the team's impressive performance at the T20 Asia Cup 2022, its maiden international win, a T20I series victory against Pakistan and their first-ever ODI series win over Bangladesh. Afghanistan also enjoyed a successful campaign at the last year's ODI World Cup where they beat Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka and the Netherlands. Afghanistan are currently in the United Arab Emirates for a three-match T20I series against the host team. Following this, they are scheduled to travel to India, for a three-match T20I series from January 11-17. The team has a packed yea

IPL 2024: Afghanistan unlikely to give NOCs for Mujeeb, Naveen and Farooqi

Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is unlikely to offer No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen Ul Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi for the next two years, putting their participation in the Indian Premier League 2024 season in doubt. According to a release issued by the ACB, the board has decided to delay the annual contracts for year 2024 for these players having formed a "dedicated committee to thoroughly investigate the matter", after they expressed a desire to be released from their central contracts from January 1. "The insistence on not signing the central contract for these players was their involvement in commercial leagues, prioritizing their personal interests over playing for Afghanistan, which is regarded as a national responsibility," the ACB said on its website. "By opting for their release, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has decided to take disciplinary measures against these players," the board added. Afghanistan are also set to play a three-match T20I ser

Star Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan undergoes lower-back surgery

Star Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan has undergone a minor lower-back surgery in the UK and is expected to recover soon, according to the Afghanistan Cricket Board. The talismanic spinner though will miss the Big Bash League, starting December 7. A statement issued by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Friday said Rashid, who played a vital role in the team's success against teams such as England and Pakistan in the World Cup in India, had been operated upon by a top surgeon in the UK. "Afghanistan's cricket sensation, @rashidkhan_19, underwent a minor lower back surgery with the expertise of renowned surgeon Dr. James Alibone in the UK. He has been rested for a brief while and is expected to recover soon," said the ACB statement on X. Fellow cricketer Mohammad Nabi posted an image of Rashid post surgery and wrote, "Get well soon king". On Thursday, Rashid's BBL side Adelaide Strikers had announced that Rashid would undergo a minor operation soon. Rashid has been playing fo

Rashid Khan to undergo back surgery, to miss the Big Bash League 2023-24

Afghanistan star Rashid Khan will miss the Big Bash League, starting December 7, due to a back injury that requires surgery. His team Adelaide Strikers announced on Thursday that Rashid will undergo a minor operation. England's Harry Brook too will be unavailable for the team. Rashid has played for the Strikers since 2017. "Rashid is a beloved member of the Strikers and a fan favourite who has been with us for seven years, so he will be extremely missed this summer," Tim Nielsen, GM of Cricket at Adelaide Strikers, said. "Rashid loves Adelaide and the Strikers, and we know how much he loves playing in the BBL, and we support him as he has treatment for this injury to ensure his long-term involvement in the game. "Our list management and coaching staff will now look at our options for replacing Rashid for the upcoming season and a replacement player will be announced in due course." Rashid, who was part of Afghanistan's spirited campaign in the ODI World Cup in India, had earlier

India vs Afghanistan T20s full schedule, match timings, live streaming

The first of the three-match T20I series is scheduled for January 11 in Mohali, followed by the second and third matches on January 14 and 17 in Indore and Bengaluru, respectively.