Match Details
Date: January 11, Thursday
Time: 7:00 pm IST
Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
Live Score: SportsTiger App
Follow: IND vs AFG 1st T20I Live Score | Today Match Prediction
Match Preview
After touring South Africa for a multi-format series, the Indian cricket team is set to host Afghanistan for a three-match T20I series. The series will begin on January 11, Thursday, and will continue till January 17. This will be the first time that the two teams will play a bilateral series in their history. Not only this, but this will also be India’s last T20I assignment before the T20 World Cup 2024, slated to be played in June.
The upcoming series will see the return of skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli after a year and a half to the T20I squad. The team consists of young faces like Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Jitesh Sharma, who have performed well for the side in recent times.
Toss Prediction
India and Afghanistan clashed against each other in five T20I matches so far. In their past three clashes, the Afghanistan skipper came on top of one toss war, while the Indian skipper managed to win only one toss battle. For the forthcoming series, we feel Indian skipper Rohit Sharma will win the toss, considering the home ground factor plays its charm.
Win Possibility
As mentioned, India and Afghanistan have clashed against each other in five T20I matches so far. Out of those games, the Men in Blue maintained a winning streak of four wins, while one match yielded no result. In the three-match series, we think Indians will have the upper hand over their counterparts, considering they have been in form off late. Not only this, but Rohit Sharma and his squad will play on familiar surfaces, adding up to their chances of registering the win in the next game.
Team News
As mentioned, the upcoming games will see senior batters skipper Rohit Sharma and batting icon Virat Kohli returning to the format after 1.5 years. The visitors received a major blow ahead of the series as their star performer Rashid Khan got ruled out. Khan is recovering from a back injury after he underwent surgery in the UK. The 25-year-old hasn’t played since the ODI World Cup 2023 in November, and his comeback isn’t confirmed yet.
Predicted Powerplay Score and Average First Inning Score
The IS Bindra Stadium or Punjab Cricket Association Stadium of Mohali has hosted a total of six T20I matches. The average first-inning score of the ground is 182.66, and considering this, we think it will hover around 180-190 in the first T20I game. The powerplay score of the first match is likely to be around 45-50 as India hosts Ibrahim Zadran-led side on January 11, Wednesday.
Betting Odds
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