India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I Player Stats and Top Fantasy Picks

India and Afghanistan will lock horns against each other for a three-match T20I series, staring on Thursday, January 11. The first T20I will be held in Mohali, as the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the squad for the first time since the 2022 T20I World Cup.

Team India have rested a couple of their regulars for the series, whereas, the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja have missed out due to injury. Rashid Khan has been included in the Afghanistan squad, however, he is unlikely to feature in any of the games given he is still nursing a back injury. In this article, we will have a look at the top fantasy picks for the first T20I:

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma will open the batting alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, in what could be India’s preferred combination for the T20I World Cup as well. The Indian captain has enjoyed his fair share of success in Mohali, scoring a double hundred here against Sri Lanka in ODI cricket. The Hitman will look to make it count against an inexperienced Afghanistan bowling lineup on Thursday.

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Indian coach Rahul Dravid confirmed that Yashasvi Jaiswal will open the batting alongside Rohit Sharma for the 1st T20I. The left-handed batter has has had a flying start to his T20I career, scoring 430 runs in 14 innings at an average of 33. More importantly, the southpaw has a tendency of taking the attack to the opposition in the powerplay overs.

Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi Bishnoi is expected to feature in the lineup for the first T20I on Thursday. The wrist spinner claimed nine wickets in the five-match T20I series against Australia a couple of months ago. He could prove to be the game-changer for the hosts in the series.