Mirpur : India ‘s hopes of a miraculous entry into the final of the Asian Cup were buried under another blind Shahid Afridi on Tuesday night. With Pakistan chase 327 against Bangladesh to snatch another thrilling last over victory , they sealed a final showdown with Sri Lanka already qualified , thereby reducing the encounter against India Afghanistan Wednesday academic interest . Pakistan 13 points and to Sri Lanka , with a game in hand. India can not hope to sign their disastrous campaign with a win against Afghanistan and beginners fiery finish with 9, even if they win a bonus point .
As it will not be easy for Indians looking vulnerable without regular skipper MS Dhoni . Stick centered around Kohli as no other batsmen showed the temperament to stay at the crease . For a team that relies on its prowess at bat, it proves to be the difference between winning and losing .
It will be a test of Indian cloth against Afghanistan were a revelation in this tournament by establishing an impressive sight especially with their rhythm game . They have a strong pace attack in the duo and Dawlat Zadran Shapoor and left-right combination to bring variety to the game of fast bowling . ( Read also: India wary of Afghan pacemaker, said Rayudu )
Their spin department also variety in the trio of skipper Mohammad Nabi , Samiullah Shenwari and Hamza Hotak . Nabi gets vicious turn with his off- spin , while sharp breaks legs Shenwari too troubled opponents . Left – arm Hotak also did well to restrict the flow of runs at one end , conceding 4.04 runs in three games .
Bubbling with enthusiasm, Afghanistan announced their arrival to the big stage when they swallowed Bangladesh by 32 tracks for their first victory against a Test – playing nation after four games.
Bowlers of Afghanistan would look to target mainly Kohli . A level of mediocrity descended on the Indian side after drawing a blank on tours of South Africa and New Zealand.
Teams (from):
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan , Ajinkya Rahane , Ambati Rayudu , Dinesh Karthik ( wk ) , Ravindra Jadeja , Ravichandran Ashwin , Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami , Cheteshwar Pujara , Stuart Binny , Varun Aaron and Ishwar Pandey .
Afghanistan : Mohammad Nabi ( c) , Mohammad Shahzad ( wk ) , Noor Ali Zardan Asghar Stanikzai , Nawroj Mangal , Samiullah Shenwari , Najibullah Zardan , Mirwais Ashraf Hamza Hotak , Dawlat Zardan , Shapoor Zardan Hamid Hassan, Karim Sadiq , Rahmat Shah Fazal Niazai .
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