India opt to bat first against Afghanistan

Indian captain ViratKohli won the toss and opted to bat first in their fifth game in the ongoing ICC Men’s World Cup against Afghanistan on Saturday at The Rose Bowl, Southampton. 

Before heading to this game, India played four matches and came up victorious in three of them. The other game was washed out due to rain. 

Afghanistan, on the other hand, played five matches and lost all of them. They are the only team in the World Cup who are yet to find a point.

India's captain Virat Kohli gestures to his teammates as he walks to bat in the nets during a training session ahead of their Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, England, Thursday, June 20, 2019. Photo: AP

India overlooked Bhuvneshwar Kumar in this match to pave the way for Mohammad Shami who is set to play his first match in this World Cup. 

On the other hand, Afghanistan made two changes into their playing XI. They overlooked Noor Ali Zadran and Dawlat Zadran to make the way for Hazratullah Zazai and Aftab Alam. 

Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi bowls in the nets during a training session ahead of their Cricket World Cup match against India at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton, England, Friday, June 21, 2019. Photo: AP

Afghanistan (Playing XI): Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib(c), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Ali Khil(w), Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

India (Playing XI): Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma, ViratKohli(c), Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni(w), Hardik Pandya, Kedar Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

Source: unb