India vs Afghanistan 2024: 1st T20 Likely Playing 11 for Both Teams

Rohit Sharma and Ibrahim Zadran in focus as we look at the confirmed squad and best playing 11 for India vs Afghanistan 2024 1st T20.

Update: Rashid Khan and Virat Kohli will miss the first T20i, so the article has been updated accordingly. 

The last T20 series before the 2024 T20 World Cup for Team India, and the entire focus for the Indian team has been on the return of Team India’s hottest duo, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both Rohit and Virat Kohli are making a comeback in the T20 format after featuring almost 1.5 years back in the 2022 T20 World Cup.

After missing a lot of T20 series with the focus on the 2023 ODI World Cup, we can say it is better late than never for RoKo, and ab koi nahin RoKo’ega inhe. Sure, their return brings a lot of excitement and eagerness among the fans, who have been eagerly waiting for them to play the T20Is. What’s more, we will also see Rohit Sharma as the Captain of the Indian team. 

While the return of Rohit and Kohli is great news for the fans, it is a headache for the management, who have been trying countless combinations in the playing 11 in the last 1.5 years. Their return will definitely add to a lot of trouble. What we have in front of us are 3 T20Is in which Team India will have to finalize their strongest playing 11 combination.  

So, with India’s best T20 players, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya missing, and the selected team combination in front of us, let’s look at India vs Afghanistan 2024 1st T20 best playing 11 for both the teams. Before that, let’s look at the official squad and the key match details. 

Match Details:

Tournament: Afghanistan Tour of India 2024

Type: 1st T20I Match

Where: Mohali

When: Jan 11, 7 pm IST

India vs Afghanistan 2024 Official T20 Squad for Indian Team:

Batters: Rinku Singh, Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Virat Kohli & Yashasvi Jaiswal

WKs: Jitesh Sharma & Sanju Samson

All-rounders: Axar Patel, Shivam Dube & Washington Sundar

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar & Ravi Bishnoi

Team India’s Playing 11

Team India’s biggest headache will be the selection of their openers. Before Rohit, Yashasvi and Shubman had been opening for Team India. But with Rohit returning, only one from Yashasvi and Shubman will feature as an opener. While Gill is a senior player, his returns haven’t been convincing to feature ahead of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Hence, expect Team India to play Yashasvi Jaiswal as an opener alongside Rohit Sharma. 

The other selection choice for Team India will be to select their first-choice wicket-keeper. Before this series, Sanju Samson was nowhere to be seen. But with Ishan Kishan missing, Sanju is once again in contention for the wicket-keeper spot However, India have been persisting with Jitesh for quite some time now, and with his decent returns and attacking nature, expect India to play Jitesh ahead of Sanju. 

Finally, India have selected only three pacers in their squad. So, will India play all three or play only two with the focus more on playing spinners as a preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup? Well, ideally, Mohali’s pitch isn’t that pace-friendly. So, if at all, India have to play three spinners, it has got to be this pitch. Most likely, we should see India playing two pacers and three spin combiantion. 

Overall, with Rohit and Yashasvi as openers, we should see Shubman Gill at 3, Tilak Varma at 4 with Sanju Samson also in contention for the number 4 position. Rinku Singh should play at 5 with Jitesh Sharma at 6 and Axar Patel at 7. With 4 more bowlers, we should see Arshdeep Singh and Mukehs Kumar as pacers and Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi as spinners. In case India play the third pacer, Bishnoi should sit out for Avesh Khan.

India vs Afghanistan 2024 1st T20 Best Playing 11 for the Indian Team:

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav & Mukesh Kumar.

India vs Afghanistan 2024 Official T20 Squad for Afghan Team:

Batters: Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran & Najibullah Zadran 

WKs: Ikram Alikhil & Rahmanullah Gurbaz

All-rounders: Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmat Shah & Sharafuddin Ashraf

Bowlers: Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mohammad Saleem, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Qais Ahmad & Rashid Khan

Talking about Afghanistan’s best playing 11, there doesn’t seem to be much to choose from. Eight players select for themselves, and the only discussion points will be the selection of Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, and Gulbadin Naib. Other than these three, the focus will be on Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Azmatullah Omerzai. 

India vs Afghanistan 2024 1st T20 Best Playing 11 for the Afghan Team:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omerzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi & Naveen-ul-Haq. 

Top Fantasy Players 11 for India vs Afghanistan 1st T20 2024

Batters: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma & Shubman Gill

Wks: Rahmanullah Gurbaz

All-rounders: Axar Patel, Mohammad Nabi & Azmatullah Omerzai 

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Noor Ahmad & Kuldeep Yadav

CVC Choice: Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli

Please note, don’t forget to check our Telegram channel for fresh Fantasy 11 updates based on Toss, ground conditions, etc. 

Thanks for reading! What’s your playing 11 for the India vs Afghanistan 2024 1st T20? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com

---

ALSO READ: IPL 2024 Salary List and Official Annual Price for All 245 Players

---

© AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics