India vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I: Mohali Weather Forecast, PCA Stadium Pitch Report

Team India will take on Afghanistan in what will be their final assignment in the shortest format before the T20 World Cup 2024 scheduled to be played later this year in June. India and Afghanistan will be involved in a three-match T20I series. The action starts with the first T20I being played at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday, January 11.

Rohit Sharma is back at the helm in T20I cricket for the first time since the 2022 World Cup exit. Ibrahim Zadran will lead a formidable Afghanistan squad. This will also mark the first T20I series between India and Afghanistan, although the two Asian sides have clashed multiple times in the shortest format during previous T20 World Cups and Asia Cups.

The series will be closely observed by the selectors as they will identify potential figures for the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies. The first half of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 will subsequently provide a clearer picture of players’ fitness and availability.

India vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I: Mohali Pitch report

The PCA Stadium in Mohali has always been a good batting strip, but it also offers assistance to pacers with its genuine bounce. In the most recent T20I match, held at this venue, Australia successfully chased down a target of 209. The average first-innings score of 183 speaks volumes about the batsman-friendly nature of the pitch in Mohali. As far as the overall record of the venue is concerned, teams chasing a target have been more successful.

India vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I: Mohali weather forecast

The city of Mohali will be cold on Thursday evening with a maximum temperature of 14 degrees Celsius, and the minimum temperature dropping to as low as 9 degrees towards the end. Fortunately, there are no chances of any rain on matchday. Dew could play a part and hence, the captain winning the toss could be tempted to bowl first.

India vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I: 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 (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmaullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan