(LEFT) India’s Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will have to be wary of left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi (RIGHT), who has been a class apart with the new ball for Afghanistan. (PHOTOS: AP)
IND vs AFG T20 World Cup 2024: Afghanistan blew away three out of their four oppositions’ under 100 runs during the Group Stages. When India take on Afghanistan in their Super Eight clash in Barbados, they will be well aware of the venom and versatility of the Afghan attack. The pitch in Bridgetown so far has provided a balance between bat and ball and an in-form Afghan attack might tilt the balance.
The Barbados pitch has been conducive to fast bowlers in this tournament. And left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi has been a class apart with the new ball for Afghanistan. Despite playing on the other docile Caribbean pitches he made the new ball talk. The 23-year-old has scalped 12 batters, conceding just 6.66 runs per wicket.
T20I stats in Barbados since 2010 ahead of IND vs AFG
| Batting 1st | Batting 2nd | |
| Wins | 52 | 38 |
| Average score | 153 | 147.2 |
One of the major strengths of Farooqi has been his ability to swing the new ball both ways. And he would no doubt probe Rohit with in-swinging deliveries before test him outside off with an away-shaper. It won’t be an one-dimensional attack. He can also test Virat Kohli’s game outside off-stump on the fourth stump line, which the Afghan pacer in his current form, can execute immaculately.
However, the problem for Afghanistan arises in the middle-overs with the onset of Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi into the attack. Their record is not flash against India. Rashid is yet to pick a wicket against India in internationals and is going at 8.63, whereas the off-spinner Nabi has an even worse record going at 10.87 and one wicket from seven games. The average first and second innings run rates in Barbados since 2010 have been 7.65 and 7.35, which is lower than what the Afghan spin duo has been conceding against India.
Stats in Barbados this World Cup ahead of IND vs AFG
| Pace | Spin | |
| Wickets | 37 | 17 |
| Economy | 7.54 RPO | 7.27 RPO |
| Strike Rate | 15.8 balls per wicket | 24.7 balls per wicket |
The matchup between the Indian middle-order and Afghan spinners becomes pivotal in Barbados because of the nature of the surface. As the stats suggest, batting first has been easier at this venue as the wicket gets increasingly slower.
Even in the same innings, the pitch has often played differently. In the marquee clash between Australia and England earlier in the tournament, both teams made a mockery of the bowlers in the Powerplay, scoring 74 and 54, respectively. However, once the ball got softer and older, the power-hitting became increasingly difficult in the middle overs and back-end of an innings.
For India to counter the spin threat, middle-order batters Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube will have to shine with contrasting boundary-hitting methods.
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