India will take on Afghanistan in the 9th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on October 11th. India and Afghanistan have faced each other only thrice in ODIs, with India winning two and one match ending in a tie. Their most memorable World Cup meeting came in 2019 when India edged Afghanistan by just 11 runs.
India will head into this clash high on confidence after beating defending champions Australia convincingly in their first match. Afghanistan lost their opener to Bangladesh and will need to improve significantly to challenge India. With the likes of Kohli, Rahul and Bumrah in sparkling form, India will be the clear favorites playing at home. But Afghanistan have the talent to spring an upset if they can fire as a unit.
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Overview
India possesses tremendous batting depth with world-class performers like Rohit, Kohli, Rahul and Pandya in their ranks. They overcame early wobbles to chase down Australia’s total comfortably thanks to fifties from Kohli and Rahul.
India’s spin triumvirate of Jadeja, Ashwin and Kuldeep also underlines their strength in bowling. Keeping Shami out of the first XI exemplifies the embarrassment of riches India has.
The hosts will hope for a quicker start from their openers. But otherwise, India’s settled squad brimming with match-winners makes them hot favorites to win a record-extending third World Cup title.
Overview
Afghanistan’s batting remains largely unsettled apart from the opening pair of Gurbaz and Zadran. The lack of seasoned batsmen in the middle-order hurt them against Bangladesh. Their bowling is over-reliant on Rashid Khan’s waning magic and 17-year-old pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi’s raw talent.
However, Afghanistan possesses a few potential match-winners like Gurbaz with the bat and Fareed Ahmed with the ball. If Nabi can hold the innings together and Khan rediscovers his mojo, they can pose problems. But Afghanistan’s inexperienced unit needs to punch above their weight significantly to challenge India.
Overall, Afghanistan lacks the quality and balance to realistically threaten India. But their “nothing to lose” approach means they can’t be written off either.
vs. Starting XI
India predicted Starting 11:
- Rohit Sharma (c)
- Ishan Kishan
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer
- KL Rahul (wk)
- Hardik Pandya
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Ravichandran Ashwin
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Siraj
Afghanistan predicted Starting 11:
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Najibullah Zadran
- Hashmatullah Shahidi (c)
- Rahmat Shah
- Mohammad Nabi
- Rashid Khan
- Naveen-ul-Haq
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
India may bring in Shami to replace Kuldeep. Gill could return if deemed fit, replacing Iyer or Pant. Otherwise, a similar XI is expected.
Afghanistan may give Zazai a go over Omarzai after dropping him in the first game. Fareed’s swing could see him included, possibly at Azmatullah’s expense. But Afghanistan should largely stick with the same combination.
See the confirmed starting lineups below an hour before the match starts.
vs. Head-to-Head
India dominates its head-to-head ODI record against Afghanistan, having won both matches against them at the 2019 and 2022 Asia Cups.
Their only completed 50-over contest at a World Cup came in the 2019 edition, where India survived a scare to win by 11 runs. Mohammed Shami’s last-over hat-trick saved India after Afghanistan took the chase down to the wire.
Afghanistan did manage to tie their first-ever ODI meeting against India back in 2018 when Mohammad Shahzad smashed a ton in Dubai. But since then, India’s superior quality has shone through.
However, Afghanistan have challenged India occasionally thanks to the unpredictable nature of T20 cricket. Overall, India is yet to lose an ODI to Afghanistan, underlining the huge gulf in quality between the two teams.
Weather & Pitch Report
The match will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The weather is expected to be hot and sunny, with temperatures around 34-35 deg Celsius. Humidity levels will be moderate.
The pitch in Delhi is usually excellent for batting, with the ball coming nicely onto the bat. It has an even covering of grass and is devoid of major cracks or spots. The true bounce allows strokeplay with little movement available for pacers.
With shorter square boundaries, six-hitting is also encouraged at this ground. Dew may form in the evening under lights. This necessitates bowling first after winning the toss, since chasing becomes easier.
The pitch tends to slow down as the innings progresses. Slow bowlers can exploit some turn, but outright spin is difficult. Good technique is required to play slow bowling on this surface.
Considering Delhi’s batting-friendly conditions, a high scoring match is likely on cards. 300+ totals are common here. The key will be to adapt to the decreasing pace of the pitch and keep the scoreboard ticking. Big hitting in the death overs could prove crucial.
India vs. Afghanistan Prediction
Given the gulf in quality and past head-to-head record, India should comfortably beat Afghanistan. India’s batting possesses far more firepower with the likes of Rohit, Kohli, Rahul and Pant being match-winners.
Afghanistan’s relatively inexperienced batting line-up will struggle to match India’s totals or even play out 50 overs. India’s bowling also has more depth through Bumrah, Shami and the spin of Ashwin and Jadeja.
For Afghanistan to challenge, they will need freak individual performances from the likes of Gurbaz, Rashid Khan and Fareed Ahmed. But India playing at home holds all the aces needed to secure a relatively comfortable victory.
Prediction: India to defeat Afghanistan by 6 wickets.
India vs. Afghanistan Betting Tip
Virat Kohli is a strong choice as top match run-scorer after his half-century in the first game. Consider him to make 70+ runs. KL Rahul has been in sublime ODI form recently. Bet on him to score over 80 runs. Mohammed Shami could prove a shrewd wicket-taker bet if picked, considering Afghanistan’s weaknesses against pace. Back Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to hit the most sixes for India.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz is worth betting on as Afghanistan’s top scorer given his aggressive batting talent. Rashid Khan is due for a dominant World Cup outing. Consider him to take 2+ wickets. Bet on India to score over 320 runs batting first if they win the toss. Their batting firepower can pile up huge totals at home. With batting conditions in Delhi favoring run-scoring, consider betting on over 300 total match runs.
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If you want to check out our other Cricket World Cup match predictions, you can find them on our site. In the meantime, you can check out how to bet on the Cricket World Cup.
