Kuldeep Yadav to get a game, Siraj facing the axe? India’s likely XI vs Afghanistan in T20 World Cup Super 8

India start their Super 8 campaign in the 2024 T20 World Cup with a match against Afghanistan at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. India and Afghanistan are placed in Group 1 of the Super 8 stage along with Australia and Bangladesh. India are the top-ranked T20I team in the world and Afghanistan are placed all the way down at 10th and yet, Rohit Sharma and Co. would know how big a mistake it would be to underestimate their opponents on the day.

India come into the match on the back of some scintillating form in the group stage. They started off by thrashing Ireland by eight wickets after which they beat Pakistan in a match where they seemed to be behind for much of it. Then came a seven-wicket victory over the United States where Suryakumar Yadav had to show that he has a slower game in him as well.

India played all three matches with the same eleven, with all of them taking place on the treacherous pitch at the Nassau County Stadium and one will never know if they would have made any changes during their final group game against Canada in Florida as it was washed out. However, that could change in the Super 8 considering they are now playing in the West Indies. Spinners in general, and finger spinners in particular, are expected to find a lot of purchase on the Caribbean pitches. While Kuldeep Yadav is no finger spinner, India could be tempted to bolster their spin department by including him in the lineup. They could only drop one out of Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj and, considering recent performances, the latter could be relegated to the bench.

India are not expected to make any changes to their batting lineup but it will be interesting to see how Virat Kohli performs on Thursday. The former captain managed scores of one, four and 0 in the group stage. Despite Kohli’s struggles, India’s batting lineup has been bolstered by solid performances from Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav. Pant’s scores of 36 and 42 against Ireland and Pakistan, respectively, have been crucial, while Yadav’s timely fifty against the USA was vital.

Shivam Dube’s performance has been underwhelming, but his 31 off 35 balls against the co-hosts might secure him another game.

India’s bowling unit has thrived, with Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh delivering consistent performances. Pandya and Arshdeep, in particular, have bounced back from a challenging IPL season.

India likely XI vs Afghanistan

Openers: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli

Middle-order: Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel

Bowlers: Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh