NEW DELHI: India are ready to face Afghanistan in the opening Twenty20 International (T20I) as the three-match series between the two nations is set to kick off at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday.
This will be India's final T20 International assignment ahead of the all-important T20 World Cup. The 2024 ICC T20 World Cup is scheduled to take place from June 4 to 30 next year, hosted jointly by the West Indies and the United States.
Amidst the prevailing freezing cold waves across northern India, Team India diligently practiced for the opening match against Afghanistan, donned in jackets, woolens, and warmers.
On Thursday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video showcasing the Indian players undergoing training and preparations for the upcoming T20I.
The footage captures the players adapting to the challenging cold conditions in Mohali.
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Star India batsman Virat Kohli will miss the first match due to "personal reasons".
Virat and captain Rohit Sharma both returned to the T20 squad after more than a year's absence for the series.
Virat and Rohit last played a T20 international in November 2022, when India lost to England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Team India head coach Rahul Dravid said Rohit and the left-handed Yashasvi Jaiswal remain as the team's first-choice openers in the T20 format.
Jaiswal, 22, made the Indian team after a stellar show in the Indian Premier league last year when he scored 625 runs at a destructive strike-rate of 163.61.
The second T20 will be played in Indore on Sunday with the final match in Bengaluru on January 17.
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