Focus on returning Virat Kohli as India eye series win in Indore

Listen to Story All eyes will be on Virat Kohli, who returns to the India squad for the T20I format after a long hiatus of almost 14 months, as India gear up to take on Afghanistan in the second T20I at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. The Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, will look to seal a series win after taking a 1 0 lead with a six wicket victory in Mohali.

The first T20I saw Shivam Dube earning the Player of the Match award for his exceptional all round performance, which was crucial in . Despite the cold weather conditions, Dube excelled at number four, handling the pressure and contributing significantly to the team's success. India have a dominant record against Afghanistan, having won five out of six matches played across formats, with one ending in a tie.

Their first clash dates back to the 2010 T20 World Cup. As the teams prepare for their next face off, the Indian squad is bolstered by the inclusion of Kohli, who traveled from Mumbai to Indore for the match scheduled on Sunday. The Indian team is not taking the Afghan side lightly, despite the absence of star spinner Rashid Khan.

Afghanistan still boasts talented players like Mujeeb ur Rahman, Naveen ul Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi, who can turn the game around if they perform in unison. For India, the match is also an opportunity for players like Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel to make a mark and stay in contention for the T20 World Cup squad.

With no further T20I series before the marquee event in June, performances in this series carry extra weight. Jitesh Sharma, in particular, has overtaken Ishan Kishan in the wicketkeeper batter pecking order and will be looking to solidify his position with a significant knock. The next 13 innings 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 remainder of the game.

However, it remains to be seen whether Varma can keep his place in the side, as star batsman Virat Kohli will play this game after missing the first. The Indore pitch is known to favor batsmen, which could set the stage for high scoring innings. However, Indian spinners like Axar Patel, who recently earned a recall to the Test squad, will need to be crafty to contain the Afghan batsmen, including the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mohammad Nabi, who can dismantle any bowling attack.

: 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. : 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..