Afghanistan leg spinner Rashid Khan has been ruled out of the upcoming India T20I series set to begin on Thursday.
Rashid Khan Ruled Out of India T20I Series
As per IND vs AFG 2024 schedule, the first match of the series will be played on January 11 at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali.
Rashid Khan who went a lower-back surgery a couple of months ago, travelled to Chandigarh with the team. The 25-year-old even featured in the team’s training session but with a day ahead of the series opener, Afghan captain Ibrahim Zadran confirmed the unavailability of the star spinner for the Indian T20I series.
“He is not totally fit but is travelling with the team. We hope that he gets fit as soon as we expect him to. He’s doing his rehab with the doctor, and we will miss him in the series”, Zadran said.
The captain, however, believed that even without Rashid, there’s enough firepower in his team.
“Without Rashid, there are a few players that we have trust in. I can say, they will play good cricket,” Zadran said.
“Others have also played a lot of cricket and I am sure they will perform well. Without Rashid, we will struggle because his experience is crucial to all of us, but this is cricket and you need to be ready for any kind of situation.”
In Rashid’s absence, the spin department will be led by Noor Ahmad and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, while the ‘most experienced’ Mohammed Nabi will also be available for selection.
“Nabi is the most senior guy in our team and he should play. He has lots of experience,” Zadran said.
“Playing against India on their home soil is a difficult task, but we came here to play well against them and show our skills. We have lots of good T20 players, all our boys are playing good cricket, so I am sure they will play well. We will have a good series against India,” Zadran added.
Both India and Afghanistan cricket fans who might not be able to catch the toss details can check the toss and playing 11 for both teams in “India Playing 11” and “Afghanistan Playing 11″ posts respectively.
Afghanistan T20I Squad for India T20Is
Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmaullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib
