Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

CWC 2019 Match 28 – India v Afghanistan Preview Dream11. IND vs AFG Dream11 Prediction

Sri Lanka have weaved a little World Cup magic. Their shock win against England can give any side in this tournament hope that anything is possible.

Sure, Afghanistan beating one of the favourites would be mighty extraordinary. Gulbadin Naib’s men have not performed as well as many following them over the years might have hoped, with performances reeking of management-inflicted unrest and team politics.

Their tough day against England is followed by one of the favourites India, who have been impressive so far in this tournament. Virat Kohli’s men remain one of the two unbeaten teams in CWC 2019, sweeping aside Pakistan in a game that did not live up to its billing. With some huge games coming up, India will want to keep the momentum going on nicely.

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Key to an India win

The loss of Shikhar Dhawan is a blow to India. He has a superb record in ICC tournaments, thriving on the huge occasion, which could have held India in very good stead in the latter stages of the campaign. However, their top three of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli remains a very ominous one. Sharma, in particular, has had an outstanding campaign to date, knocking off two centuries in India’s three games, providing the platform his team is so dangerous off. Afghanistan went the distance against England, so India will want a strong platform in which the middle order can then pounce on.

Also, can India’s bowlers continue their fine form? The loss of Bhuvneshwar Kumar against Pakistan did not deter them, with Vijay Shankar highlighting their bowling depth. Mohammed Shami is set to get his chance today, and if he’s raring to make a statement, Afghanistan’s batsmen could be in a world of discomfort. With Jasprit Bumah threatening to take the big wickets, along with the in-form wristspinners, India will be after a strong start which they can build on against an Afghanistan middle order that has shown some steel in CWC 2019.

Key to an Afghanistan win

Afghanistan’s fielding has been so poor in CWC 2019 that they would be well behind the eight-ball in a club competition. Here, they have to fight for every run, bowling with intent and accuracy against India’s top order and backing it up in the field. The big question is whether Afghanistan can bowl with belief and create chances early, and indeed whether they can take them. A good start gets them into the game, which can then give Rashid Khan, who had a very tough day against England, a platform to bowl off.

Also, can Afghanistan’s batting hold up against India’s strong attack? Afghanistan found solace in the England drubbing by fighting to bat out their 50 overs, which can give them some confidence ahead of this clash. Gulbadin Naib is a key player with bat and ball, but Afghanistan need plenty from the likes of Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Najibullah Zadran. Can Afghanistan limit the damage in the early overs and then build on it well in the middle overs?

Pitch and conditions

Conditions are expected to be beautiful for the day. The pitch has also been pretty good for batting in recent times, with Pakistan and England scoring 734 runs combined in a recent ODI.

Possible Playing 11

Rishabh Pant has joined the India squad as Shikhar Dhawan’s replacement. He could play here, but only if Vijay Shankar is deemed unfit after getting hit on the toe by a Jasprit Bumrah yorker in training. Also, Mohammed Shami is expected to come in for Bhuvneshwar Kumar who has a hamstring niggle.

India: 1. KL Rahul, 2. Rohit Sharma, 3. Virat Kohli (c), 4. Vijay Shankar, 5. MS Dhoni (wk), 6. Kedar Jadhav, 7. Hardik Pandya, 8. Kuldeep Yadav, 9. Yuzvendra Chahal, 10. Mohammed Shami, 11. Jasprit Bumrah

Afghanistan have made plenty of questionable decisions in recent times. Who knows what they’ll do here. Aftab Alam was dropped in the previous game, despite being Afghanistan’s best seamer (average of 21) since 2018.

Afghanistan: 1. Noor Ali Zadran, 2. Gulbadin Naib (c), 3. Rahmat Shah, 4. Hashmatullah Shahidi, 5. Asghar Afghan, 6. Mohammad Nabi, 7. Rashid Khan, 8. Ikram Ali Khil (wk), 9. Aftab Alam, 10. Dawlat Zadran, 11. Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Dream11 Prediction

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Option 1:

Option 2:

Stats and Facts

• This will be the first World Cup meeting between the teams.
• The last ODI played between India and Afghanistan was a thrilling tie in the 2018 Asia Cup.
• India are one away from 50 World Cup wins.

Match Prediction

Sri Lanka’s incredible upset against England shows that no side should be underestimated.

However, India should be too good here. India to win.

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