India won the toss and elected to bowl first in the first T20I in Mohali.
India and Afghanistan are facing off in the first T20I of their three-match series on Thursday, January 11 at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. India's captain, Rohit Sharma, who is returning to the T20I side after 14 months, won the toss and chose to bowl first. The Indian playing XI saw some notable exclusions, with wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and seamer Avesh Khan missing out on the first T20I.
In addition to these absences, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was unable to be selected due to a sore right groin. It is worth mentioning that before the series, head coach Rahul Dravid had announced that Jaiswal would be opening the innings alongside Rohit Sharma. Unfortunately, his injury prevented him from participating in the match.
Shubman Gill will replace the injured player as the opening batsman alongside the Indian captain. Additionally, Sanju Samson was not selected, and Jitesh Sharma was chosen as the wicketkeeper-batsman instead. It is worth mentioning that Sharma made his debut during the Asian Games in 2023 and has played seven T20Is, scoring 69 runs. On the other hand, Samson has scored 374 runs in 24 games, with an average of 19.68 and a strike rate of 133.57, including one half-century.
Another surprising omission from the team is left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who was the leading wicket-taker in the previous series against South Africa, taking six wickets in two innings. In his place, wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi has been given an opportunity after not featuring in the single game against South Africa. Bishnoi was the leading wicket-taker in the five-match T20I series against Australia, picking up nine wickets in five innings.
Following his outstanding performance, the 23-year-old Bishnoi climbed to the second spot in the ICC T20I bowlers' rankings. It is important to note that this will be India's final assignment before the T20 World Cup in 2024.
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 "Why Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal are not playing 1st T20I for India against Afghanistan in Mohali?")
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