T20 World Cup: India vs Afghanistan

The action of the T20 world cup is finally underway and the drama has unleashed itself with Zimbabwe already losing its opener Sibanda in the big run chase against host Sri Lanka. The signs of drama have already unleashed themselves on day 1 of the tournament.

In a few hours, millions of Indian cricket fans will be glued to their screens to encounter Indias first game in the world cup against close by neighbors Afghanistan, a side that has qualified for back to back T20 world cups even after all the unrest back home. Although, most cricket enthusiasts would have written off the Afghanistan side for tomorrows game against the mighty Indians, considering the game already won by the Indian camp might put Dhoni's men in a sticky situation.



There are a few reasons that could overturn the predicted result of India's opening encounter in this years T20 World Cup.

• There is a major chance that the Indian team might not be taking their game against Afghanistan too seriously. Over experimentation in the field might cost them a victory. We have seen such situations in the past where India has been on the losing end of many underdog victories.
• Afghanistan has qualified for the T20 World cup in the middle of major national unrest the country has been subject to in the recent times.They have already won respect of cricketing greats and have engraved their success story in cricketing history. The spirits in the Afghanistan locker room would be high and their confidence to take their cricket to the next level perfectly in place.
• India has shown signs of inconsistency in recent games. Their last two games against Pakistan and New Zealand have both ended in losses. Apart from a handful of players, most of the team has not shown to many outstanding performances off late.The Indian bowling has been particularly unimpressive.
• Afghanistan's unpredictable but talented unit has the potential of causing discomfort to the Indian line up. Captain Nawroz Mangal,wicketkeeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad and the vice-captain Mohammad Nabi have the potential to take the game away from India.

Being a complete patriot and a huge supporter of the 'Men in Blue,' I sincerely hope the Indian men hold their ground for their game against the talented Afghanistan and inch their way closer to another T20 world cup win.