India aims for hiccup-free outing against Afghanistan

NEW DELHI: Navigating their way through some extreme pressure moments in their tournament opener, India will be eyeing a perfect game against a sprightly Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup on Wednesday.

As pointed out by skipper Rohit Sharma, India’s biggest challenge over the course of the league stage will be to quickly adapt to the conditions in nine different venues.

After a slow and spinning track at Chepauk, a belter of a surface is expected at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, where more than 700 runs were plundered in a high-scoring affair between South Africa and Sri Lanka last week.

With Shubman Gill ruled out of the game due to dengue, Ishan Kishan will get another opportunity at the top of the order alongside Rohit.

The game will also be a homecoming for fan favourite Virat Kohli who reinforced his credentials batting alongside K L Rahul in Chennai on Sunday night.

Batting in front of pavilion named after him, Kohli will be expected to give his fans another night to remember.

with three spinners, then Mohammad Shami can make way for R Ashwin who had a decent outing in Chennai. That could be the only change in the playing eleven. The main square was re-laid ahead of the World Cup and that has clearly changed the nature of the surface. Comparatively, facing the Afghan attack upfront would be easier than negotiating the likes of Josh Hazlewoodd and Mitchell Starc.