India and Afghanistan are set to lock horns in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021 in the UAE this evening, at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
India, led by Virat Kohli, are in deep trouble, having lost both their Super 12 matches against Pakistan and New Zealand in Dubai.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag found a similarity between Indian team’s decisions in the T20 World Cup 2021 match against New Zealand, which they ended up losing, and during the 2007 ODI World Cup.
In a conversation with Cricbuzz, he said that India repeated the same mistake that Rahul Dravid-led side had committed in the 50-over World Cup, that is demoting their best batter to middle order.
He said that, in 2007 too, Sachin Tendulkar was asked to come down at 4 in order to strengthen the middle order. It was a decision taken by the then coach Greg Chappell, whose stint was filled with many controversies.
Whatever the rejigs, if India lose their next match, they will officially be knocked out of the competition. The Afghans, led by Mohammad Nabi, on the other hand, have a realistic chance of qualifying for the semis.
Afghanistan won their previous game against Scotland by 62 runs and got their net run rate up to a stunning 3.097, they will prove to be a tough challenge for India in this do-or-die encounter.