Zaheer Khan says the IND vs AFG T20I series will be a "Great opportunity" before the T20 WC

Former India speedster Zaheer Khan believes that Team India’s upcoming three-match home T20I series will give a clear picture of the team’s plans for the all-important 2024 T20 World Cup. The series against Afghanistan will be India’s final T20 series ahead of the mega event. Zaheer also expects Afghanistan to give the hosts a tough fight in the upcoming three matches as well.

During a discussion on Cricbuzz, Zaheer said: “It is going to be a very important series, from which we will get an idea of the direction in which India’s T20I team is going. It will be a great opportunity ahead of the T20 World Cup. You cannot take Afghanistan lightly in this format, and we have also seen a lot of upsets in T20 cricket. I am quite curious to see the kind of squad the selectors pick for the series.”

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However, the T20I series opener between India and Afghanistan will be played at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on January 11. It will be interesting to see if senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play in the series or not. In the same video, Zaheer Khan also shared how Rinku Singh has made a name for himself in the early phase of his international career. He also suggested that the southpaw will be the player to watch out for in the series.

While speaking about Afghanistan’s squad, he picked ace spinner Rashid Khan as the visitors’ best bet against India as well. However, Rashid Khan underwent back surgery last November but he had a good 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, finishing with 11 wickets from nine outings as well.

“For Afghanistan, definitely, Rashid Khan’s name is always at the top. However, it remains to be seen if he will be completely fit by then. If he is not there, Noor Ahmad could get a chance. Talking about India, Rinku Singh has shown a lot of promise, and I look forward to seeing his career graph from here,” he concluded.