India's predicted playing XI vs Afghanistan: Gill to be dropped, Rohit and Jaiswal to open

Over four months to go for the T20 World Cup 2024, but India are set for their final T20I assignment ahead of the ICC event. The three-match T20I series against Afghanistan which begins on Thursday at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali will be the last time Men in Blue will be playing T20Is before the T20 World Cup. After this, they will have the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 and that is going to play a major role in the squad selections. Nonetheless, the Afghanistan T20Is provide a golden opportunity for the players to impress the selectors in the blue shirt ahead of the mega event.

The India playing XI is also set to undergo a lot of changes considering Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are back in the T20Is after a gap of 14 months.

Rohit and Jaiswal to open

Coach Rahul Dravid confirmed on the eve of the match that Rohit Sharma will be opening alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, which means Shubman Gill will have to either drop down or miss out on a spot. In Rohit’s absence, it was Gill and Jaiswal, but for now, it seems it is going to be Rohit and Jaiswal, a right and left combination. The absence of Ruturaj Gaikwad has made Dravid’s job a bit easier.

Who will bat at No .3?

This is going to be the interesting part. Will India play Gill at No. 3, a slot that will go to Kohli when he returns? Kohli will be missing the first T20I due to personal reasons. It could go to Tilak Varma to create space for two all-rounders in the team. More importantly, this could be a final audition for Varma at No. 3. Gill already has proven himself, but Varma needs to show that he can deliver consistently. His position in the squad will be threatened when Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya make a return.

India could include Shivam Dube and Axar Patel to have six bowling options. And this means Gill will have to sit out as there is no place left. Among wicket-keepers, Jitesh Sharma could get a nod over Sanju Samson as the attacking batter could deliver crucial runs down the order and team management would like to give him a long run.

India’s predicted playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan