New Delhi: The second T20 between India and Afghanistan will be played today on September 15 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Team India is ahead 1-0 after winning the first match, but just before the match the team has suffered a big shock. Mystery spinner Varun Chakraborty has been ruled out of the remaining two matches due to injury. Now the question is who will replace him?
What did Varun do in the first match?
Varun bowled brilliantly in the first T20. He took 1 wicket for just 16 runs in 4 overs. The biggest thing was that no batsman from Afghanistan could hit even a single four or six against him. He kept the batsmen tied for the entire 4 overs. In that match, Afghanistan, batting first, scored 156 runs, which India chased in 13.4 overs with Abhishek Sharma’s stormy innings of 82 runs and won by 7 wickets.
How serious is the injury?
Varun has suffered a new injury and due to this he has been ruled out of the series. According to reports, he has suffered from side strain. The special thing is that he had recently returned to the team after recovering from a hamstring injury. Now due to the new injury, questions have been raised about his playing in the Asian Games. The Indian team is to leave for Japan on 18 September, while the cricket matches in the Asian Games are to start from 19 September.
Who can get a chance in place of Varun?
The Indian team has a natural option in the form of Ravi Bishnoi. Bishnoi is a leg spin bowler and is also a part of the current squad of the team. In such a situation, fielding him in the playing eleven in place of Varun is considered to be the most straightforward option. Bishnoi has also been kept in place of Varun in many possible playing elevens. However, the final decision will be clear only at the time of toss.
What is the challenge before India?
Team India is not just short of spinners. The lack of a fifth bowler was clearly visible in the first match. The main bowlers did well, giving only 98 runs in 16 overs, but 59 runs were lost in the remaining 4 overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy gave 30 runs in 2 overs, Shivam Dubey gave 21 runs in 1 over and Abhishek Sharma gave 8 runs in 1 over. This was the point of some tension in the match.
Will Bishnoi improve the balance of the team?
If Bishnoi comes then he can be paired with Akshar Patel. Together they can trouble the Afghan batsmen. Apart from this, Washington Sundar is also an option who can also bat. Captain Shreyas Iyer will take the decision after seeing the pitch, but it is certain that Varun’s exclusion is a big blow for India and today’s match is going to be very important in terms of bowling combination.
