India and Afghanistan are facing off in the first T20I of a three-match series on Thursday, January 11, at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. This marked the initiation of the first-ever bilateral series between the two teams, as, aside from the World Cup and continental events, India and Afghanistan had not engaged in a series before.
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s absence from the Mohali T20I against Afghanistan
After a 14-month hiatus, India’s captain Rohit Sharma, who made a comeback to the T20I side, won the toss and opted to bowl first. In a surprising turn of events at the toss, Rohit announced that Yashasvi Jaiswal would not be playing in today’s game. This contradicted the statement made by India’s head coach Rahul Dravid on the eve of the match, where he had indicated that Jaiswal would open the innings alongside the veteran batter. However, The BCCI later revealed on social media that Jaiswal was unavailable for selection in the first T20I due to a sore right groin.
“Mr. Yashasvi Jaiswal was unavailable for selection for the first T20I due to a sore right groin,” BCCI post read.
UPDATE: Mr Yashasvi Jaiswal was unavailable for selection for the first T20I due to a sore right groin.#INDvAFG
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2024
Also READ: IND vs AFG 2024, T20I series: Broadcast & Live Streaming details – When and where to watch in India, USA, UK and other countries
Surprise omissions: Sanju Samson and Kuldeep Yadav left out of India’s playing XI
The Indian playing XI witnessed notable exclusions, with wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson and wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav missing out on the first T20I. Jitesh Sharma was chosen as the wicketkeeper in place of Samson. Another surprising omission was left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep, who emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the previous series against South Africa, claiming six wickets from two innings. However, no specific reasons were provided for their exclusion.