World Cup 2023, Match 9 | Afghanistan Predicted XI vs India

image-lnkmnrq5Afghanistan will play against India in the ninth match of the World Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)

The stadium where the highest total was struck in the World Cup will host India's game versus Afghanistan on Thursday, October 11th. The Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi will host match 9 of the prestigious championship, which is scheduled to begin at 2:30 PM IST.

Both teams began their competition in opposing ways. India trounced Australia in Chennai with a magnificent all-round performance, while Afghanistan was thrashed by Bangladesh in their first game in Dharamsala.

India was in trouble in a tricky chase of 200 runs, with the scoreboard reading 2-3 within a few overs. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul combined for a brilliant 165-run stand to set the platform for the chase. Rahul stayed till the end and ensured a victory in India's maiden game in World Cup 2023.

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Shubman Gill, who was admitted in a Chennai hospital due to a low blood platelet count, is yet to return to the Men in Blue. Gill was released on Tuesday morning, but he will need time to recover.

On the flip side, Afghanistan failed to start the tournament on a flying note. As the scoreboard stopped at 156 runs, the Afghans struggled to defend the below-par total against the Shakib Al Hasan-captained side. The Tigers had an easy chase, finishing with seven wickets in hand.

In this battle of the two Asian sides, let us have a quick look at the predicted XI of Afghanistan against India.


Openers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran

Afghanistan will continue to include the young pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran at the top of the order. The wicketkeeper-batter looked good in the last game against Bangladesh and was their leading run-getter in a below-par total of 156 runs. He will be partnered by Ibrahim Zadran who is one of the best batters of Afghanistan. The 21-year-old is elegant and technically appropriate.


Middle-order: Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran

Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi form the core of the middle order for Afghanistan. They're also one half of their top compact four that generally scores the bulk of the runs. Rahmat notched up a century very recently while Hashmatullah has been tailoring half-centuries now and then with a handful being during the Asia Cup.

The Jonathan Trott-coached side also backs Najibullah Zadran and the potential he carries. Although, he has been off-coloured in the last year, he could be a game-changer with the bat in hand.


All-rounders: Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan

Mohammad Nabi aka. 'The President' must be featuring in his final World Cup and is one of the key components of this Afghanistan set-up. When all bowlers fail, he steps up with the ball, when all the batters fail, Nabi steps up with the bat. Such has been his essence and it was seen during the Asia Cup group stage game against Sri Lanka.

Joining Nabi in the all-rounder's category would be Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan. Both of them are more of a bowling all-rounder with the latter being off-form with the ball in hand. Rashid was battling injuries a few months back and therefore also pulled out of the Men's Big Bash and Men's Hundred in their respective latest editions.


Bowlers: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Naveen-ul-Haq

The Afghan spin department gets complete with the addition of Mujeeb Ur Rahman. His variation in skillset is something that the team requires and therefore Mujeeb should make the XI. Although their bowlers did not have much to defend in the last game, Afghanistan will look to spearhead with Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi. The former has come off an injury and is trying to get back to his best rhythm while the latter is in quest of pushing his potential and execution on the same page.


Afghanistan Predicted XI vs India

Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.