Although both teams have garnered three victories from four matches, their standings in their respective groups diverged significantly. India ascended to the pinnacle of Group A, aided by the abandonment of their final league match against Canada due to inclement weather. Conversely, Afghanistan secured the second position in Group C, following a demoralizing 104-run defeat by the co-hosts, West Indies. India boast a dominant record against Afghanistan in T20Is, having emerged victorious in six out of their eight encounters, with one match yielding no result and one getting tied. However, their previous clash, the final match of the bilateral series was a riveting spectacle, necessitating two Super Overs to reach a conclusion. Given Afghanistan's formidable form this time around, a fierce and closely contested match is anticipated. The conditions, highly conducive for the Afghans, given their potent spinners coupled with their propensity to excel in high-stakes encounters, promise an enthralling battle. India's pace battery is something Afghanistan should be wary about, and it promises an intense battle between the Afghan openers and the new-ball pair of Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah.

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Match Details  

Match	Afghanistan vs India, Match 43
Venue	Kensington Oval, Barbados
Date and Time	June 20, Thursday, 8 pm IST
Live Broadcast and Streaming	Star Sports Network, Disney+ Hotstar (app and website)

 

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Pitch Report and Conditions The five World Cup fixtures held at the Kensington Oval have yielded markedly disparate batting outcomes: at one extreme, the contest between Oman and Namibia resulted in scores of 109 all-out and 109 for 6; contrastingly, Scotland's rapid accumulation of 90 for 0 from 10 overs amidst intermittent showers against England stands out. Notably, no team managed to surpass Australia's total of 164-5 against Oman, with Australia themselves shattering their own score again. This upcoming day match will be contested on a new pitch, reputed to be the finest on the square, although a somewhat erratic weather forecast may present an additional challenge for the teams.

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Head-to-Head Records  

Matches	8
Won by Afghanistan	0
Won by India	6
Tied	1
No Result	1
First-ever Fixture	03/11/21
Most-recent Fixture	17/01/24

 

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Probable Playing XIs Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj

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Probable Best Performers Probable Best Batter: Virat Kohli The Indian icon has not been in optimal form and will undoubtedly wish to swiftly put his group-stage performance behind him, having scored merely five runs across three innings. Given his lofty ambitions and remarkable mental fortitude to seize control of high-profile games, he could be anticipated to be India's hero in their inaugural match of the Super 8s. Probable Best Bowler: Rashid Khan Considering the sluggish nature of the pitch at Bridgetown, it presents an ideal opportunity for the Afghan skipper to continue his exemplary performance. He could once again be expected to lead his team with a pivotal bowling spell, delivering a captain's performance when it matters the most. Check here: T20 World Cup 2024 Most Wickets

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Today's Match Prediction: India to win the match Scenario 1 India win the toss and opt to bowl first. Powerplay Score: 30-40 Afghanistan: 140-160 India win the match. Scenario 2 Afghanistan win the toss and opt to bowl first. Powerplay Score: 40-50 India: 165-185 India win the match.