India are up against Afghanistan for their second encounter in the ICC Cricket World Cup in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11. It will be a drastic change in conditions for the Men in Blue, who are coming from a turner in Chennai, to now a proper belter in Delhi, a track which isn't often seen in the capital. The Arun Jaitley Stadium surface is traditionally a slow and low track which grips and turns but the only thing turned in the first match of the tournament at the venue was the fielders' heads to see how far the ball has travelled.
Hence, for India, the change might also be visible in the playing XI as skipper Rohit Sharma mentioned after the win against Australia. The first game saw India field three spinners, which might not be the case on a flat pitch with small boundaries. Shardul Thakur thus, is likely to replace R Ashwin in the playing XI. The team might be tempted to play Mohammed Shami, a frontline pacer, but given the nature of the surface, an extra batting option just might help.
With Shubman Gill still unavailable Ishan Kishan will continue to open alongside captain Rohit Sharma. The rest of the batting line-up remains the same with Virat Kohli at Number 3, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul to follow and vice-captain Hardik Pandya at 6. Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav will be the two spinners while Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will lead the pace attack. With the ground being so small, chasing will be a better option, however, Afghanistan might take inspiration from how the South Africa-Sri Lanka match went and bat first to have at least something to fight.
India's likely playing XI for Afghanistan match: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
