Latest Updates on World Cricket

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England will be competing against West Indies in the 42nd match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. In this article, we look at ENG vs WI Dream11 Prediction Today Match, ENG vs WI Dream11 Team Today, Playing 11s, and Pitch Report.

ENG vs WI Match Preview:

In Group B, England secured the second spot with two wins out of four matches, while West Indies dominated Group C with a perfect record of four wins in as many matches.

In their most recent outing, England overcame Namibia by a margin of 41 runs, with Harry Brook contributing a notable 47 runs. Conversely, West Indies triumphed over Afghanistan by a substantial 104 runs, thanks to Nicholas Pooran’s impressive knock of 98 runs.

Historically, these two teams have faced off in this format 29 times, with England claiming victory in 12 encounters and West Indies winning 17.

ENG vs WI Head-to-Head Records:

Teams	Matches Won
England	12
West Indies	17

ENG vs WI Weather & Pitch Report:

Temperature	27°C
Weather Forecast	Overcast
Pitch Behaviour	Batting-friendly
Best Suited To	Pacers
Average 1st innings score	197

Record of chasing teams:

Records	Poor
Winning %	33%

ENG vs WI Squads:

England Squad: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler©(wk), Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley

West Indies Squad: Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran(wk), Shai Hope, Rovman Powell©, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Obed McCoy

ENG vs WI Dream11 Team Today Stats:

Player	Players Stats (last match)
Nicholas Pooran	98 runs
Jos Buttler	NA
Akeal Hosein	2 wickets
Andre Russell	3 runs and 1 wicket

Hot Picks for ENG vs WI Fantasy Cricket Tips:

Captaincy Picks:

Andre Russell

Nicholas Pooran

Top Picks:

Jos Buttler

Akeal Hosein

Budget Picks:

Jonny Bairstow

Moeen Ali

ENG vs WI Captain and Vice-captain Choices:

Captain	Andre Russell & Nicholas Pooran
Vice-Captain	Jos Buttler & Akeal Hosein

ENG vs WI Dream11 Prediction Team 1:

• Keeper – Jos Butler (vc), Nicholas Pooran, Philip Salt
• Batsmen – Brandon King
• All-rounders – Andre Russell (c), Moeen Ali, Sam Curran
• Bowlers – Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Alzaari Joseph, Akeal Hosein

ENG vs WI Dream11 Prediction Team 2:

• Keeper – Jos Butler, Nicholas Pooran (c), Philip Salt
• Batsmen – Brandon King
• All-rounders – Andre Russell, Moeen Ali
• Bowlers – Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Alzaari Joseph, Akeal Hosein (vc), Gudakesh Motie

ENG vs WI Dream11 Prediction Today Match 42 ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Players to Avoid:

Players	Dream11 Credits	Dream11 Points (Last match)
Shimron Hetmyer	6.0 credits	DNP
Ben Duckett	6.5 credits	DNP

ENG vs WI Dream11 Prediction Today Match 42 ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Expert Advice:

SL Captaincy Choice	Andre Russell
GL Captaincy Choice	Nicholas Pooran
Punt Picks	Gudakesh Motie and Sam Curran
Dream11 Combination	3-1-3-4

 

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Afghanistan will be battling against India in the 43rd match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. In this article, we look at IND vs AFG Dream11 Prediction Today Match, IND vs AFG Dream11 Team Today, Playing 11s, and Pitch Report.

IND vs AFG Match Preview:

Afghanistan, with three victories out of four games, secured the second position in Group C’s points table. Conversely, India also won three out of their four matches, topping Group A’s table.

In their recent match, Afghanistan faced a defeat against West Indies with a margin of 103 runs, despite Ibrahim Zadran scoring 38 runs. On the other hand, India’s last match was against Canada, but it was called off due to rain.

India and Afghanistan have encountered each other seven times in this format, with India maintaining an undefeated streak against Afghanistan.

IND vs AFG Head-to-Head Record:

Teams	Matches Won
Afghanistan	0
India	7

IND vs AFG Weather & Pitch Report:

Temperature	28°C
Weather Forecast	Light Rain
Pitch Behaviour	Batting-friendly
Best Suited To	Pace and spin
Average 1st innings score	169

Record of chasing teams:

Records	Poor
Winning %	37%

IND vs AFG Squads:

India Squad: Rohit Sharma©, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Rishabh Pant(wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube

Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(wk), Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan©, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai

IND vs AFG Dream11 Team Today Stats:

Player	Players Stats (last match)
Rishabh Pant	18 runs
Jasprit Bumrah	NA
Arshdeep Singh	4 wickets
Hardik Pandya	2 wickets

Hot Picks for IND vs AFG Fantasy Cricket Tips:

Captaincy Picks:

Hardik Pandya

Arshdeep Singh

Top Picks:

Jasprit Bumrah

Rishabh Pant

Budget Picks:

Gulbadin Naib

FazalHaq Farooqi

IND vs AFG Captain and Vice-captain Choices:

Captain	Hardik Pandya & Arshdeep Singh
Vice-Captain	Virat Kohli & Jasprit Bumrah

IND vs AFG Dream11 Prediction Team 1:

• Keepers – Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rishabh Pant
• Batsmen – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli (vc), Ibrahim Zadran
• All-rounders – Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya (c)
• Bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Rashid Khan, FazalHaq Farooqi

IND vs AFG Dream11 Prediction Team: 2

• Keepers – Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rishabh Pant
• Batsmen – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav
• All-rounders – Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya
• Bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Arshdeep Singh (c), Rashid Khan, FazalHaq Farooqi

IND vs AFG Dream11 Prediction Today Match 43 ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Players to Avoid:

Players	Dream11 Credits	Dream11 Points (Last match)
Shivam Dube	7.0 credits	42 points
Najibullah-Zadran	6.5 credits	10 points

IND vs AFG Dream11 Prediction Today Match 43 ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Expert Advice:

SL Captaincy Choice	Hardik Pandya
GL Captaincy Choice	Arshdeep Singh
Punt Picks	Suryakumar Yadav and Ibrahim Zadran
Dream11 Combination	2-3-2-4

 

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Former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik feels that India's batting against Afghanistan's spinners will be a great battle to watch out for. India will play its opening Super Eight match against Afghanistan on June 20 in Barbados.

India qualified for the Super Eights as the topper of Group A, winning three out of their four matches while one game was washed out due to poor weather conditions in Florida. Meanwhile, Afghanistan have been in good form as well. They won three matches but lost one game to West Indies in the group stage.

Also read: Kuldeep Yadav's fate in T20 World Cup sealed by Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid ahead of the Super 8 clash vs Afghanistan

Dinesh Karthik picks the battle to watch out for in India's first Super Eight clash

During a query on Cricbuzz, Karthik was asked about his views on India having an advantage in their Super Eight clash against Afghanistan.

"India plays most of its matches in the morning in America so that it's nighttime in India and all of us get to watch it. The fact that we are playing a day game is an added advantage in terms of picking wrist spin but at the same time, the pitches have been slightly tough to bat on. So, advantage Afghanistan as well because their spinners would come into the game much more than it would have been if it would have been played on any other part of the world," Karthik replied to the query.

"It's going to be a great game, I can promise you that. Indian batters vs Afghanistan spinners, great game to start the Super Eight!" the former wicketkeeper-batter added.

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India has a strong batting line-up but they have managed a highest score of just 119 in three games so far. The Men in Blue have played all three games in New York, which proved to be extremely difficult for the batters. They will expect big runs from their star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli

Meanwhile, Afghanistan has played two matches in Guyana while one each at Trinidad and St. Lucia. All of these were night games, which means their opening Super Eight fixture will be their first-day game of the tournament. Afghanistan has skillful spinners like Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi in the squad, who can be dangerous on their day.

India vs Afghanistan head-to-head record

India and Afghanistan have been up against each other eight times in T20I cricket in which India have won seven games while one game ended in a tie earlier this year. India won the tied game through the Super Over.

In the T20 World Cups, both these teams have faced each other on three occasions and India has emerged victorious in all of them. Both of these teams haven't played any game in Barbados this tournament, which makes it a new territory for both of them.

After the clash against Afghanistan, the Men in Blue will move to Antigua for their second Super Eight match against Bangladesh. India will conclude its Super Eight stage with a high-octane clash against 2021 champions Australia in St. Lucia.

 

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Former West Indies pacer and well-known commentator Ian Bishop said that confidence will be key for the Men in Maroon and Yellow as they are heading into the Super-8 stage of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at home.

The West Indies cricket team is among the unbeaten teams alongside Australia, India, and South Africa, heading into the crucial round of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. Rovman Powell and his team are in red-hot form, having won all four Group C matches, and now they would certainly love to extend their winning streak in the Super-8 stage of the tournament.

Ian Bishop backs West Indies for third T20 World Cup at home

The West Indies are the strongest contender to lift their third T20 World Cup title in front of their home crowd, but Bishop highlighted the recent trend where the hosts failed to win the ICC tournaments, warning the Men in Maroon and Yellow against getting complacent.

However, the cricket pundit believes that if the West Indies manage to maintain their high-flying confidence in the crucial phase of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, then nobody can stop them from winning the prestigious trophy at home.

Meanwhile, as the T20 World Cup 2024 heats up, the West Indies team is riding high on confidence after a strong start in the tournament. But now, they will have their Super-8 game on June 20 against England, and then against the USA on June 22, followed by their final Super-8 match against South Africa on June 24, leaving them with limited time to prepare.

So, it can be exhausting for the West Indies to maintain momentum amidst their rapid schedule in the Super-8 stage, but Bishop stressed that maintaining focus and preparation won't be a challenge for them, but their confidence, as they enter the crucial phase of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

However, the commentator is optimistic about the West Indies' chances to achieve a historic third T20 World Cup victory on home soil, as the prospects of winning the unprecedented trophy add extra motivation for the Caribbean squad.

Confidence will be key for West Indies in the Super 8s and knockouts of T20 World Cup 2024: Ian Bishop

Bishop emphasized the team's current mindset and preparation as he recalled insights from a recent conversation with coach Daren Sammy, revealing that the players are full of confidence and determination and are ready to conquer the world.

Ian Bishop was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: “And unprecedented if they win it on home soil, because, as you've always said, nobody's really won the World Cup on their home soil just yet. Look, I think keeping them focused won't be a problem. I think preparing them won't be a problem.

It comes down to their confidence in what they're doing now that we're getting into that business area of this T20 World Cup. So, there's a good vibe, though, because I remember talking to one coach just before the New Zealand game in Trinidad, and he said, these guys are focused. They are ready for this. There's no fear, but pure focus in that dressing room. And I think we're seeing that now.”

 

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India's upcoming tour of Zimbabwe in July is all set to witness a significant shift in strategy for the team. With Gautam Gambhir likely to assume the role of head coach of the Indian cricket team, the national selectors are expected to announce the T20 squad for the Zimbabwe tour next week.

It is being said that emerging talents like Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, and Riyan Parag are likely to be named in the T20I squad, which will boast several fresh faces for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour.

India set to break tradition with fresh-faced T20I squad for Zimbabwe tour

Historically, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has opted to send second-string teams to Zimbabwe over the past decade, but things will be different this time. The new Indian team management under Gambhir would be focusing on building a fresh, dynamic team specifically tailored for T20I cricket.

It is being said that they look beyond the established veterans as they want to prepare a squad suited for the shortest format of the game. Senior stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah will be focusing on Test and ODI cricket, with the World Test Championship (WTC) and the ICC Champions Trophy on the horizon next year.

According to the Times of India, sources reveal that Gambhir has strongly advocated for having format-specific teams, eyeing to pick consistent IPL performers for T20Is. Following the Zimbabwe tour, Team India is scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20Is in Sri Lanka. For these fixtures, India is expected to field a full-strength ODI squad.

Furthermore, the India cricket team's schedule is packed with 19 Test matches, including a home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, followed by a challenging tour to Australia. So, the team management will carefully consider the workload of key players like Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer.

Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel set for wicketkeeping duties on Zimbabwe tour

Pant's workload will be closely monitored, and he is likely to be rested for the upcoming five-match T20I series in Zimbabwe, while Iyer is likely to feature prominently in ODI cricket. Iyer is likely to be picked for the ODI series against Sri Lanka.

In terms of wicketkeeping duties, Sanju Samson is a strong contender to be picked for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour, with Dhruv Jurel also being considered for the role of the wicketkeeper-batter.

The sources claimed that Samson, who is currently with Team India for the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, will be picked along with his Rajasthan Royals (RR) teammate Jurel for the upcoming Zimbabwe tour.

A BCCI source told TOI: “Gambhir is very clear in his mind that he will need players specific to each format. When it comes to T20 cricket, he is not one to overlook consistent IPL performers. The seniors in the team will be needed for the longer formats for the rest of the year.”

Notably, Shubman Gill, who was recently released as a reserve from India's T20 World Cup 2024 squad, has been reportedly dealing with a persistent finger injury. Gill has had an issue with his right index finger throughout the IPL 2024, and NCA’s medical team will soon decide whether surgery is necessary to address this injury.

 

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Gautam Gambhir has clear plans for India's cricket team in the future. Although his appointment as the team's head coach is not finalized yet, he is the frontrunner for the role after Rahul Dravid's tenure ends at the end of the T20 World Cup 2024.

Recently, Gambhir also appeared for the interview for the role of India's next head coach where he was interviewed by the BCCI's Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), which involves former India cricketers Ashok Malhotra, Jatin Paranjape, and Sulakshana Naik.

Also read: Gautam Gambhir eats up Jonty Rhodes' LSG job even before becoming India's Head Coach

Gautam Gambhir's plans revealed for Indian cricket team's future

According to the TOI, a BCCI source has revealed that Gambhir wants specific players for different formats of the game. IPL will act as the platform for the selection of T20 players while senior players will be required for the longer formats.

"Gambhir is very clear in his mind that he will need players specific to each format. When it comes to T20 cricket, he is not one to overlook consistent IPL performers. The seniors in the team will be needed for the longer formats for the rest of the year," the BCCI source said.

The move to have specific teams for every format is likely to start from India's tour to Zimbabwe in the first week of July. Gambhir is likely to take over as head coach of the side which will see some fresh faces. This means that IPL performers like Riyan Parag, Yash Dayal, and Abhishek Sharma could get a look-in.

After the Zimbabwe tour, India are scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20Is. According to the reports, India are likely to field a full-strength ODI team.

Senior players to focus on the longer formats

It is believed that senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah will move away from the shortest format of the game after the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 and instead focus on the WTC final and the Champions Trophy to be held next year.

Currently, India have a number of all-format cricketers like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep Yadav, who are in India's every full-strength squad irrespective of the formats. All these players are currently playing in the T20 World Cup 2024, which is jointly hosted by the West Indies and the USA.

India have qualified for the Super Eight stage after registering three wins against Ireland, Pakistan, and the USA. They will play their first Super Eight fixture against Afghanistan on June 20 in Barbados.

Historically, India haven't focused on having separate teams for different formats. But teams like England have used this idea to be more productive in every format of the game. England's specialist Test players like James Anderson and Stuart Broad played Test cricket for a long time despite being away from the white-ball teams.

If this happens in India, the workload of the current all-format will be managed in a better way. However, it remains to be seen how India will perform if BCCI opts for separate teams.

 

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The Indian Premier League franchises could soon make their presence felt in England too as Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) president Mark Nicholas has revealed that as many as five IPL franchises have expressed interest in acquiring a stake in London Spirit. The London-based outfit is one of the eight teams competing in The Hundred.

The IPL franchises are associated with a number of T20 leagues across the globe. They have teams in the Caribbean Premier League, Major League Cricket, ILT20 as well as SA20. And they could soon have their own teams in England as well.

Mark Nicholas revealed the IPL franchises' plans while announcing the plans for the World Cricket Connects symposium at Lord's. The ace commentator is set to take over as London Spirit's chairman in October this year. Recently, MCC CEO Guy Lavender wrote a letter to the club members to seek their approval for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)'s offer to privatize a 49 percent stake in the Spirit.

While Nicholas did not reveal the names of the IPL franchises, he made it clear that they are interested in associating with The Hundred. The stakeholders will be finalized through a bidding process while the remaining 51 percent will remain with the franchise.

"What we are putting to a vote is to accept the ECB’s offer of a 51% share of this franchise," Nicholas told ESPNCricinfo.

"We will always be a members’ club. The first target is membership harmony [because] as a member you are entitled to a view. It’s very easy to knock people back because they’re difficult, but actually there is quite a lot of good thinking that comes out of activism. You have to treat people with respect, and hear their view," he added.

The Hundred has given us another opportunity: Mark Nicholas

The ECB is planning to privatize the Hundred. The board is planning to privatize the competition by creating eight new companies and gifting 51% of the shares in them to the relevant host county. The remaining 49 percent will be sold to private investors through a bidding process.

Nicholas highlighted how the ECB missed out on T20 cricket and India capitalized on it by launching the highly successful IPL. He further stated that The Hundred has given the ECB another opportunity to make amends.

"We missed out on T20 in 2003 where we could have grabbed it,” said Nicholas. "India thought quicker than us (on the IPL) and were smarter than us, as India often is. India moves at an extraordinary pace to make things work.

"So the Hundred has given us another opportunity. The [MCC] membership quite likes being part of the chat, not being consigned to a piece of history. The members I talk to really love the idea of having a team, love the opportunity that it brings. There will be financial opportunity, either in growth of the equity or in sale of the equity," he added.

 

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Virat Kohli is regarded as one of the legends of the game. In his international career, he has achieved almost everything that every cricketer dreams of achieving. Even at 35, Kohli is supremely fit and is still scoring runs consistently.

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has been one of the finest bowlers in the history of T20 cricket. Rashid has bowled to Kohli on numerous occasions, not only in international cricket but in the IPL as well. Recently, the legspinner opened up about the challenges that he has faced while bowling to Virat Kohli.

Also read: "What I have done at CSK..." - Shivam Dube's bold take on his T20 World Cup struggles

Rashid Khan speaks his heart out on playing against Virat Kohli

During an interaction with Star Sports, Rashid Khan spoke about the difficulties of bowling to a batter like Kohli. Rashid clearly mentioned in his conversation that it is extremely hard to bowl to Kohli as there is very little margin of error.

"As a bowler, you have no option of bowling any loose balls to him. You have to be accurate with your lines and lengths. That's something with me over the years whenever I have played with him, just to keep that consistency of bowling in one line and length. I find it hard. I need to keep pitching the ball right there," Rashid said.

"I think that's something you need to do as a bowler with the class batsman that he is. Bowling to such a batter is quite hard because Virat is always trying to find gaps. He plays the ball for two runs. It definitely puts extra pressure on you as a bowler. So, there is no option of bowling a bad ball to such a batter," he added.

'You are learning so many things from him' - Rashid Khan on bowling to Virat Kohli

Along with the difficulties of bowling to Kohli, Rashid also pointed out the learnings while bowling to such a batter.

"You always have to be very accurate. But still if he tries to find a boundary off your good balls, then it will have more pressure on you. You have a very less margin of error. You have to be very accurate but at the same time, that competition happening with him is so huge that you are learning so many things from him. I have the kind of competition where I am more focused where I have to bowl. So, it's always great whenever I am bowling to him," the Afghanistan captain mentioned.

Afghanistan's bowling in good form

With India's Super Eight campaign of the T20 World Cup 2024 stated to get underway against Afghanistan in Barbados on June 20, the eyes will be once again on Virat Kohli to deliver on the big stage. But it won't be an easy task for the Indian maestro as he will have a tough bowling attack eager to bowl at him.

Afghanistan have a good bowling attack with both the fast bowlers and spinners being in good form. They probably have the best spin attack in the competition led by their star captain Rashid Khan. Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi are the other spinners in the line-up.

Afghanistan also pose a threat through their fast bowling line-up. Left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi has been in superb form this tournament as he is the highest-wicket taker of the tournament currently with 12 wickets in four matches at an average of 6.66. Naveen-ul-Haq has given him good company so far.

 

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India pacer Jasprit Bumrah has been in sensational form in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. The fast bowler has been one of the main reasons why the Rohit Sharma-led side has reached the Super 8 stage of the tournament without losing a single game in the league stage of the event.

Jasprit Bumrah played a huge role for India in the league stage. The fast bowler bagged two Player of the Match awards in the first two games against Ireland and Pakistan and helped his team win the game. He was at his best against Babar Azam-led side as he tiled the game in his favor from losing cause.

However, the job doesn't stop here for Jasprit Bumrah as he will have to do massive work for his team in the Super 8 stage of the tournament. The pacer, however, is making sure that he leaves no stone unturned in his preparations for the next stage of the tournament.

During the practice session ahead of the game against Afghanistan, Jasprit Bumrah was at his best in the field as he showed his best and took a magical catch, which left other players in the training session amazed by it and even praised the fast bowler.

Jasprit Bumrah ran backward and stretched out his hand to grab a one-handed stunner. He pulled off an incredible catch and left his teammates impressed. The likes of Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh were seen applauding the pacer but what caught the attention of many was the reaction of Hardik Pandya.

Hardik Pandya went to Jasprit Bumrah and gave him a hug for his heroics in the field. The star pacer also looked amazed by the catch that he took and said: "Yeh Camera Mai mil gaya inko." The video was posted by pacer on his YouTube channel.

Watch- Hardik Pandya left in awe as Jasprit Bumrah comes up with an acrobatic effort in the fielding session ahead of IND vs AFG

Hardik Pandya sets the stage on fire with his heroics with the ball in the T20 World Cup 2024

Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya has been sensational as well in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. He has been incredible with the ball for his team as he is the leading wicket-taker for India in the ongoing tournament, having picked seven wickets from three matches at an average of 9.28 and an economy of 5.41, helping the team win three out of their games.

Hardik Pandya kickstarted the tournament with a bang as he picked up 3/27 against Ireland and then followed it up with the figures of 2/24 against Pakistan and then 2/14 against the USA. Although he has yet to set the stage on fire with bat, he has been consistent for his team with the ball.

India were dominant in the league stage of the tournament. They won three out of their games in the league stage. They first defeated Ireland comfortably and then followed it up with a remarkable win over Pakistan. They then beat the United States of America before their last game got washout.

They would be high on confidence going into the Super 8 stage of the tournament. They will be locking horns with Afghanistan in their first game on 20th June and would be eager to start their campaign on high.

 

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Team India stars sweated it out in the nets on Tuesday (June 18) ahead of the crucial game against Afghanistan in the Super 8s of the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.

There was, however, a notable absentee in the practice session. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was nowhere to be seen on the field as his teammates trained for the upcoming game. The reason behind the absence is not known yet. Rishabh Pant is in fine form at the moment and Indian team management will be hoping that the wicketkeeper-batsman remains absolutely fit for the big game against Afghanistan.

He is currently India's leading run-scorer in the ongoing T20 World Cup. While no other Indian batsman has even managed to touch the 70-run mark so far, Rishabh Pant has scored 96 runs in 3 games while batting at number three.

After scoring a half-century in the warm-up game against Bangladesh, the Delhi star scored an unbeaten 36 against Ireland in India's first game of the tournament. He followed it up with a crucial 42-run knock during the 6-run win over Pakistan before getting out for 18 against the USA.

Rishabh Pant the only one who isn’t in today https://t.co/xUi3ypS5tS

— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) June 18, 2024

Before the T20 World Cup, Rishabh Pant had impressed in the IPL as well. IPL 2024 marked his return to competitive cricket after more than a year and the star batter hit the ground running. In 13 games, he scored 446 runs and finished the season as Delhi Capitals' highest run-scorer.

In case, Rishabh Pant misses the upcoming game against Afghanistan, he is likely to be replaced by Sanju Samson. Samson is the only other wicketkeeping option in the India squad. The right-handed batsman played in the warm-up game against Bangladesh and was out for just 1. He is yet to play a game in the T20 World Cup.

India looks to continue winning run:

In-form Team India will be looking to continue their winning run when they take on Afghanistan in their first Super 8s game. India are in Group 1 alongside Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Australia. With two of the four teams to qualify for the semifinals, India will be looking to avoid any slipup against Afghanistan. The game is scheduled to be played on Thursday (June 20) in Barbados.