NEW DELHI: India are ready to face Afghanistan in the opening Twenty20 International (T20I) as the three-match series between the two nations is set to kick off at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday.
This will be India's final T20 International assignment ahead of the all-important T20 World Cup. The 2024 ICC T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 4 to 30 next year, hosted jointly by the West Indies and the United States.
Amidst the prevailing freezing cold waves across northern India, Team India diligently practiced for the opening match against Afghanistan, donned in jackets, woolens, and warmers.
1/9:Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli return to India's T20I squad
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2/9:Comeback after 14-month gap
<p>Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli last appeared in a T20I for India in the T20 World Cup semifinal against England in November 2022.</p>AFP
3/9:Rohit Sharma to lead India
Hardik Pandya's injury in the ODI World Cup and Suryakumar Yadav's ligament tear resulted in a lot of inexperience at the top of the order.Getty Images
4/9:Rohit may lead India in T20 WC too
While Rohit's chances of leading India in the T20 World Cup has considerably brightened, the development comes across as a big blow to Hardik's captaincy ambitions at the global event in June.Getty Images
5/9:Sanju Samson in the squad
The T20 squad also featured Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma, who will be the two glovesmen with Ishan Kishan being ignored for the shortest format.AFP
6/9:Bumrah, Jadeja rested
Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, the two Test team certainties, have been rested and Ruturaj Gaikwad isn't fit to play yet.PTI
7/9:India's last series before the World Cup
All-rounder Shivam Dube has also been named in the squad in Hardik's absence. The Afghanistan series will be India's last before the World Cup, which takes place right after the IPL.PTI
8/9:'It's a very tough decision'
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith reckons leaving out the likes of Rohit and Kohli from any team is extremely tough.PTI
9/9:India's Squad for 3 T20Is against Afghanistan
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.PTIOn Thursday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video showcasing the Indian players undergoing training and preparations for the upcoming T20I.
The footage captures the players adapting to the challenging cold conditions in Mohali.
WATCH:
Star India batsman Virat Kohli will miss the first match due to "personal reasons".
Virat and captain Rohit Sharma both returned to the T20 squad after more than a year's absence for the series.
Virat and Rohit last played a T20 international in November 2022, when India lost to England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid said Rohit and the left-handed Yashasvi Jaiswal remain as the team's first-choice openers in the T20 format.
Jaiswal, 22, made the Indian team after a stellar show in the Indian Premier league last year when he scored 625 runs at a destructive strike-rate of 163.61.
The second T20 will be played in Indore on Sunday with the final match in Bengaluru on January 17.
