IND vs AFG T20I Records and Stats at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore

Shivam Dube's matured batting (60* off 40 balls) guided India (IND) to a comfortable six-wicket win over Afghanistan (AFG) in Mohali, chasing down 158 with 15 balls remaining in the opening T20I of Afghanistan's tour of India 2024. The action now shifts to Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore for the second T20I on Sunday, January 14, 2024. Speaking about how the first game panned out, winning the toss, India opted to field first.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran started confidently, reaching 50 before Axar Patel drew first blood, removing Gurbaz for 23, followed him Zardan and Rahmat Shah losing wickets cheaply and leaving Afghanistan at 56/3. However, Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi rescued the innings with a 68-run partnership. But both eventually fell to 29 and 42 respectively. Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat's valuable contribution helped Afghans to post a respectable total of 158/5 in their allocated 20 overs.  

While chasing, India lost their skipper Rohit Sharma due to a mix-up with Shubman Gill. Local boy Gill showed some promise but Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman ended his innings. From there on Shivam Dube played a smart knock, partnering with Tilak. Though Varma fell for 26 runs, Dube and Jitesh Sharma continued to strike all-round ground.

Dube reached fifty and remained unbeaten guiding India to victory. Jitesh Sharma's quick 31 off 20 and Rinku Singh's 16 off 9 contributions also played a crucial role. Shivam Dube grabbed the Player of the Match award for his all-around performance. India will now aim to keep the momentum going, while Afghanistan hope to finally break through and secure their first win over them. 

IND vs AFG Head-to-Head Record:

In their six T20I encounters, India have held the upper hand, winning five matches with one ending in a no-result. Notably, Afghanistan are yet to register a victory against India in this format. 
 

Holkar Cricket Stadium T20I Records Pitch Report 

The Holkar pitch is a batters' paradise, offering consistent bounce. This puts the bowlers on the back foot, allowing batters to dominate.

Click here: IND vs AFG Live Score, 2nd T20I

Holkar Cricket Stadium T20I Records:

Across three T20I matches at the venue, pace bowlers have snatched 24 wickets at an average of 31.04, while spinners have 14 scalps at an average of 25.92. Notably, teams batting first have won twice, while those batting second have only won once. The average first-innings score at Indore is 210.

X-factors for India vs Afghanistan  

India:

Shivam Dube, fresh off his blistering half-century in the previous game, will be a key player for India in the upcoming T20I. His knock of 60, studded with five fours and two sixes, came at a strike rate of 150.00. Dube's all-round skills will be crucial as he can not only contribute with the bat but also chip in with a few economical overs, as he did in the previous game, picking up a wicket in just two overs while conceding only nine runs. India will be hoping that Dube continues his all-round skills and helps them secure a convincing victory. 

Afghanistan:

IND vs AFG Probable Playing XI 

India:  

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar

Afghanistan:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman