2nd T20I: India eye series win over Afghanistan

NEW DELHI: A series victory over Afghanistan may not be categorised as a monumental cricketing achievement, but for a group of players, the upcoming second T20I in Indore on Sunday presents an opportunity to elevate themselves from supporting roles to serious contenders.
Having secured a 1-0 lead with a six-wicket win in the first game at Mohali, India look to further solidify their position.

For individuals like

Jitesh Sharma

,

Washington Sundar

and

Axar Patel

, delivering a standout performance against Afghanistan is crucial. This will not only contribute to the team's success but also keep them in the selectors' consideration, especially as the quest for constructing the ideal squad for the T20 World Cup gains momentum.
The significance of their performance is heightened by the fact that India won't engage in another T20I series before the prestigious event in June, adding weight to each player's chance to make a lasting impression.

Jitesh has ample reasons to position himself as a frontrunner, given that the wicketkeeper-batsman has surpassed Ishan Kishan in the selection hierarchy since stepping in for the latter during the fourth T20I against Australia in Raipur last year.
Despite contributing with a couple of handy 30s lower down the order, the cricketer from Maharashtra is likely aware of the necessity for a more substantial innings to solidify his case for a permanent spot in the playing XI.

In the often-fickle selection landscape of Indian cricket, Jitesh, at 30, would know very well that only constant performances can help him save that frontrunner status.
Tilak Varma offers a very similar case. The left-hander had made an excellent start to his T20I career last year, making 39, 51 and 49 not out against the West Indies in an away three-match series.
But since then, Varma has tapered off. The next 13 innings have produced only one more fifty, against a below par Bangladesh in the Asian Games, with three 20-plus scores and one 30-plus knock dominating the rest of the outings.
Those numbers are certainly not enough for the 21-year-old to land inside the larger scheme of things, and the effort to turn him into a part-time off-spinner too seemed to be having a feeble life.

However, it remains to be seen whether Varma can retain his place in the side as star batsman Virat Kohli is available for this match after skipping the first game.
After missing out on the 50-over World Cup with an injury, Axar now seem to be back in the thick of things in both red and white ball formats.
On Friday, the left-arm spinner was included in the India squad for the first two Tests against England, and he dished out a fine spell at the PCA Stadium on Thursday night as well -- 4-0-23-2.
So, the Gujarat man will be eager to weave on the pattern and contribute to a series triumph here.
Sundar too has earned a recall but has not set the stage ablaze so far on his return. He will also eye a change in the second match.
The hope in the hearts of Jitesh and Varma might just have received a fillip as the Indore pitch often gives plenty of assistance to batsmen, as they can expect a fruitful outing here.
But it mandates Axar and Sundar to be at their absolute crafty best. The former had shown how to tame unhelpful conditions through that admirable spell at Mohali.
However, it will be immature to take this Afghan side for granted. They have the wherewithal to hurt India on their day.
The young Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai and the experienced Mohammad Nabi can tear apart a bowling unit as mercilessly as any other.
Despite the absence of star spinner Rashid Khan, the Afghans have the services of Mujeeb ur Rahman, who was in good rhythm in the first match, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
If they can fire in unison, it will not be far-fetched to expect cracker of a contest.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma,

Rinku Singh

, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi,

Kuldeep Yadav

, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.
Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan.
Match starts at 7 PM.
(With PTI Inputs)