Afghanistan will miss their trump card Rashid Khan in the T20 series against India starting in Mohali on Thursday.
The celebrated spinner, recovering from back surgery after the ODI World Cup, won't be available for the three games due to ongoing rehab.
Captain Ibrahim Zadran expressed confidence in other players like Mujeeb Zadran, emphasising readiness for any situation despite Rashid's absence.
"He is not totally fit. He is doing his rehab. We will miss him in the series. Without Rashid there are a few players we trust," said Zadran in the pre-match press conference. "We have many players like Mujeeb (Zadran) who have played a lot of cricket. We have trust in them. We will struggle without Rashid but one should be ready for any kind of situation," he asserted.
After ODI World Cup, people expect from us
After their impressive ODI World Cup performance, Afghanistan's fans have heightened expectations.
Zadran, hardly home since the tournament, acknowledged the increased pressure and expressed determination to face India on their home soil. While recognizing the difficulty, he believes Afghanistan, known for their T20 prowess, will perform well.
"I only went home for one day but what I heard from teammates, they said all the people were happy. Nowadays, all around the country people expect lots of things from us. It is the only thing in the country that is giving happiness to people of Afghanistan," said Zadran.
"Playing against India on their home soil is difficult but we are here to win, show our skills. We have lots of good players in T20 and we are good in this format, I am sure we will perform well."
The series serves as preparation for the T20 World Cup, and Zadran highlighted the need for improvement in the batting department. Despite the cold conditions, he downplayed the impact of dew based on recent training sessions.
"We have one of the best spinners in the world, we have fast bowlers as well but our aim is to improve batting skills," said the 22-year-old who also believes that dew won't be a factor despite the cold conditions prevailing in North India. "We have been training here last two three days, there was no dew," he pointed out.
Aiming to improve strike rate
In preparation for the World Cup in the Americas, Zadran aims to enhance his strike rate. Zadran is expected to open alongside Rahamanullah Gurbaz.
"I play the anchor role in the team in ODIs. In T20s, the aim is to improve my strike rate but it also depends on the situation. When team needs you, you should be able to play fancy shots."
"I am working on it. We are going to the T20 World Cup. if I increase that strike rate, it will be good for the team," he added.
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