Jonathan Trott, the head coach of Afghanistan, said that the tourists will miss having star spinner Rashid Khan with them on their first trip to India. Rashid went to Chandigarh with the team, but Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran told them that the leg-spinner wasn’t fit enough for the series, so Rashid couldn’t play. Through an interview with JioCinema, Trott said that Rashid’s absence gives other people a chance to step up and lead the team.
When Rashid isn’t on the team, I think it’s a good chance for other players to step up and become famous like he is. Rashid is a great player, and we will miss him, his leadership, and everything else he brings to the team. “But just a few months after the World Cup, it will be interesting to see who steps up and takes responsibility and pressure,” Trott said.
Afghanistan will not have Rashid in their spin attack. Instead, they will have Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Qais Ahmad, and Sharafuddin Ashraf. But they will have a tough time because captain Rohit Sharma and star bowler Virat Kohli will be back in the T20I after being away for more than a year. To be clear, Kohli will not be playing in the first game. Head coach Rahul Dravid said in the pre-match press meeting that the experienced batter would not be available because of personal matters. The first bilateral match between Afghanistan and India will begin on Thursday in Mohali. The second game will be on January 14 in Indore, and the last game will be on January 17 in Bengaluru.
Afghanistan squad: 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.
