India's possible XI against Afghanistan after the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in T20Is squad

Rohit Sharma along with Yashasvi Jaiswal to open , Virat Kohli to bat at number 3 : India's possible XI for the T20I series against Afghanistan 

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (pic credit- X)

India is going to host 3 T20I match series starting from 11 January. BCCI announced squad for Afghanistan T20I series on 7 January fans got excited after seeing the names of India's veteran duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the squad. Both senior batters return to T20I squad after 14 months as T20I was not priority due to ODI World Cup 2023. Their return to T20I squad confirms that they are going to play T20 World Cup 2024.  Although opposition team is Afghanistan but this series is important because this will be the last contest of Indian team in T20 format before the ICC T20 World Cup in June this year. So, this will be final opportunity for Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid to finalize the squad for ICC T20 World Cup though some permanent members of the squad like Jasprit, Hardik, Surya is not available this will be opportunity for the management to test some new players.

In this article we will look at the possible XI of India for the 1st T20I against Afghanistan.

Openers 

With Rohit Sharma back in the squad it  is confirmed that he will open the innings. He is likely to be partnered by Yashasvi Jaiswal as the left-hander is an attacking batsman at the top and is likely to get the nod over Shubman Gill. Yashasvi has the ability to give quick start to the team and exert pressure on the bowlers from the opening over. Gill and Yashasvi are likely to compete for one spot in the T20 WC squad that is opening slot. 

Middle-order 

As before, Virat Kohli will bat at 3. He opens the innings for RCB in the IPL, but this will not be the case in international cricket. Although he has opened in Twenty20 Internationals before, but the circumstances were entirely different. Here he will bat at 3. Virat Kohli is likely to be followed by Tilak Varma in absence of Surya Kumar Yadav. The left-handed batsman provides stability at number 4 in TATA IPL for MI and here also his role is going to be similar . Jitesh Sharma and Rinku Singh will complete the middle-order. Jitesh is likely to be given a long rope by the team management as with current set up India requires a lower order wicket-keeper batsman in this case he also holds an edge over Sanju Samson for a place in the playing XI. Rinku is a confirmed selection in the final XI in absence of designated number 5 and 6 batsman Hardik and Jadeja.

All-rounder 

It is anticipated that Axar Patel will compete with Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi  to get into the starting lineup. In addition to taking wickets, he can contribute with significant runs. In alternative of Ravindra Jadeja he will be like for like. If it is a bouncy pitch then Shivam Dube might get a nod in the 11 depending on condition. 

 Bowlers 

Since Kuldeep Yadav is expected to hold his position, Ravi Bishnoi might not be able to secure a spot. In the second T20I against SA, Kuldeep had a five-for, so there's no need to bench him. Despite being the top-ranked T201 bowler in India, Ravi might have difficulties getting into the World Cup team. The three Twenty20 Internationals in South Africa saw him benched.  The three pacers in the team are Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and Mukesh Kumar. They appear to be all set to participate in the 

Here is India's possible playing XI for 1st T20I against Afghanistan in Mohali-

Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel / Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar

Three match T20I series against Afghanistan set to commence from January 11. 

Here is Schedule for India vs Afghanistan T20I series 2024:

11th January, 1st T20I, Mohali

14th January, 2nd T20I, Indore

17th January, 3rd T20I, Bengaluru

Here is India's T20I squad against Afghanistan:

Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh , Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sanju Samson(WK), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav,  Arshdeep Singh,  Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar.