Mohali, Jan 10: Afghanistan will be without their trump card Rashid Khan in the T20 series against India starting here on Thursday but skipper Ibrahim Zadran was upbeat about the team’s chances in their strongest format.
The celebrated spinner, who underwent a back surgery after the ODI World Cup in November, has been named in the squad but will not be available for the three games as he undergoes his rehab.“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.
The performance of Afghanistan in the ODI WC in India was among the highlights of the tournament.The team was very much in the running for a semifinal berth after beating defending champions England and Pakistan in the league stage. Zadran, has hardly been home since the high of that tournament but knows that the fans’ expectations have gone up significantly. (PTI)