In an interview with Ariana News on Wednesday night, Afghanistan’s T20I cricket captain for the India series, Ibrahim Zadran, said the team is ready to take on their hosts in their first match in Mohali on Thursday.

Zadran said even though usual skipper Rashid Khan is sitting this series out, following back surgery last year, he is confident that the team has enough experienced players to fill the gap.

The three-match series, which gets underway later in the day, will be broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television and broadcasting will start at 5pm Kabul time.

For India, all eyes will be on returning Rohit Sharma, who made himself available for the first time since the 2022 T20 World Cup semis exit.

Virat Kohli will meanwhile sit the first game out and is expected to rejoin the team for the second and third matches.

India will also be missing a few T20 superstars including Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, due to injuries.

Afghanistan meanwhile are entering the contest on the back of a series win over the UAE in T20Is.

Match Conditions

Considering peak winter conditions in northern India, the team can expect dew to play a role. The most likely scenario is that both teams will be hoping to win the toss in order to bowl first.

This is the first time India are playing a bilateral white-ball series against Afghanistan.