After the very best and also very free T20 World Cup betting tips for the India vs Afghanistan game? Of course you are. Here you’ll find a summary of how both teams did in their previous match, the likely line-ups for both sides, a pitch report and some good stats.
If you’re looking for the best rates at the online cricket satta bazar for the game, you’re about to get it so just keep on reading! The game takes place at Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, November 3, start time 7:30 pm IST. Up next are our India vs Afghanistan betting tips!
Should they be that short in the betting? I’m about to argue that they shouldn’t and that Afghanistan have a far better chance than their odds suggest. Which is why it’s Mohammad Nabi’s men and not Virat Kohli’s that I’m betting on.
True that England are looking extremely strong (they still have a long way to go though) but both India and Australia are in real danger of missing out and going home at the Group Stage.
So where do we start? Well, all the big stars with the bat like KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya just haven’t got going.
Virat Kohli got a slow 50 against Pakistan and then got out cheaply against New Zealand.
With the ball only Jasprit Bumrah looks in form. Who would have thought after two games they’d only have taken two wickets, both of them to Bumrah?
Kohli already made changes ahead of that New Zealand game but may have to make more. He’s well-advised to keep Ishan Kishan in the team, who is more aggressive than the others, which can only be a good thing.
There may also be a place for Ravi Ashwin, so they can play three spinners.
If that were the case, Mohamamd Shami, expensive in both games, could be the one making way.
After the heartbreak of that narrow defeat against Pakistan, they came roaring back against Namibia, winning comprehensively.
They were always likely to win the game but an improvement in their net run rate was important.
Openers Mohammad Shahzad and Hazratullah Zazai got the side off to a good start before experienced skipper Mohammd Nabi added a quick 32 off 17 in the death overs.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman sat this one out with an unspecified injury and surprisingly, it wasn’t Rashid Khan who did the real damage with the ball.
Instead it was left to Naveen Ul-Haq to take three wickets and remind us that it’s not just in the spin bowling department that Afghanistan are strong.
Very bizarrely, Afghan legend and former skipper Asghar Afghan announced his retirement just before that game.
The middle-order batsman is so patriotic that he officially changed his name from Stanikzai to Afghan. (Look it up if you don’t believe me).
He played the match and scored a decent 31 off 23. But why would you retire mid-tournament when his side have an excellent chance of making the semis and really need him? Very odd indeed.
Afghanistan Likely XI
Zazai, Shahzad, Gurbaz, Zadran, Nabi, Naib, Janat, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb, Hassan, Ul Haq.
Venue & conditions
There were some pretty low first innings scores here at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium before Afghanistan increased the average a bit by hitting 160. But that was against Namibia.
Afghanistan have wanted to bat first in every game so far and with the toss going their way all three times, that’s what they’ve done. The theory is that they feel they can defend anything with the likes of Mujeeb and Rashid in their side.
But they’re ignoring the tournament trend for sides chasing winning games. Close to 70% of games so far this World Cup have been won by the chaser
There’s a further reason why Afghanistan should chase’ India have lost both matches batting first so far so would obviously prefer to chase themselves this time.
India vs Afghanistan Head-to-Head
These two have only ever played each other twice and those matches were a long time ago: in 2010 and 2012. Team India won both but Afghanistan are a far better side now than they were at the time. India were arguably a better side then than they are now.
India vs Afghanistan Toss Prediction
In terms of India vs Afghanistan toss winner statistics, it’s one win each. But Afghanistan, as stated, have won all three tosses so far. India have lost both. Let’s bet on Kohli losing yet another.
On to my India vs Afghanistan betting tips for the winner market! The World Cup has had some great moments so far including Jos Buttler’s brilliant century on Monday, some outstanding fast bowling from the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf and some brilliant catches.
We’ve had some close games such as South Africa’s win over Sri Lanka and West Indies’ last-ball triumph over Bangladesh. But here’s what we haven’t had: a big upset.
We might just get it here. Afghanistan are 4.2 to win the game and that’s very much a price worth taking.
India have been poor, as just explained. In addition to picking the wrong players and not playing well, there’s also a possibility that they’re all a bit tired and fed up after that tour to England where they opted out of the last Test.
And that of course was followed by the resumption of the IPL, where they had to go through bio-bubbles all over again.
Afghanistan are well up for this and playing with lots of passion. It seems to mean more to them.
They can compete with India in terms of batting power and if the pitch is turning, their spinners could trump India’s; Mujeeb and Rashid are as good as it gets in T20 cricket.
Other than on reputation, there’s absolutely no reason why Afghanistan should be at those odds.
And that’s why we’re betting on them.
And here’s our Pure Win review where we tell you all you need to know about one of India’s top betting sites.
In an ideal world, the Afghan top order will get plenty of runs which would of course help our cause in terms of them being on course to win the game.
But we should prepare for the possibility of things not going exactly like that. It could be that India take a few early wickets.
Or it could be that the Top 4 all chip in with 20 or 30 and then get out. That could pave the way for a classy middle-order batsman to come in, steady the innings and smash it at the death.
And that man could be skipper Mohammad Nabi. He got some useful runs against Namibia and almost top-scored.
A little more time at the crease this time and he could win at big odds of 10.0.
India vs Afghanistan fun statistics
Let’s round things off with some quick stats ahead of the game.
India have taken only two wickets in two games, both to Jasprit Bumrah. Mujeen and Rashid have taken 13 between them, albeit in three matches.
Only Najbullah Zadran has scored a fifty for Afghanistan so far. No-one has scored 100 across three games yet.
Hamid Hassan, Gulbandin Naib,, rashid and mujeeb are all going at less than five runs an over this World Cup.
Rishabh Pant is the only Indian player to have hit two sixes after two matches.
