table of contents
Afghanistan National Cricket Team has made a major change in its team just before the three-match ODI series against India. After impressing everyone in the recent one-off Test, young fast bowler Mohammad Saleem has got a place in the ODI team.
Saleem’s fearless bowling was one of the few positives for the Afghanistan national cricket team in the one-off Test which India won by an innings and 300 runs. However, Afghanistan faced a massive backlash for the humiliating defeat. Well, the young fast bowler consistently bowled at speeds close to 140 km/hr on a difficult surface for fast bowlers in New Chandigarh.
Mohammad Saleem has been included in the ODI squad after his heroics in the one-off Test against India
Even though Afghanistan suffered a heavy defeat in the only Test against India, Mohammad Saleem stood out with his pace, fighting spirit, long spells and ability to trouble India’s batsmen.
Originally, Saleem was selected for the one-off Test match, but his six-wicket haul forced the Afghanistan selectors and team management to give him a chance in the ODIs as well.
Even during Afghanistan’s latest practice session in Mohali, Saleem looked in good touch and troubled star opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz with his pace and extra bounce.
Richard Pybus praises Mohammad Saleem ahead of India’s ODI matches
Now, Mohammad Saleem is expected to play a key role in the upcoming three-match ODI series against India starting from June 13 in Dharamshala. After the Dharamsala opener, both teams will travel to Lucknow for the second ODI on June 17 before the third and final ODI in Chennai on June 20.
After including the fast bowler in the ODI squad, Afghanistan head coach Richard Pybus praised Saleem’s recent performances and said that the youngster, who has already played two ODIs for the team, has shown a lot of potential against top quality opposition.
Richard Pybus said, “He was brilliant. If you come here and take six wickets in extreme heat against high-quality batting, it’s great not only for him as a bowler, but for us as a team. I have no history with these guys before. So, in terms of their combinations, it’s part of my learning curve. I know they’ve got some lapses in the past. So, yes, it’s just getting them on the park consistently and letting them To allow backup of these.
Updated squad for India vs Afghanistan ODI series:
Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rehmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Umarzai, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharotai, AM Ghazanfar, Zia ur Rehman Sharifi, Farid Malik, Bilal Sami, Mohammad Salim.
India squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer (VC), KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Hardik Pandya.
Broadcast and live stream details for IND vs AFG ODI series in India:
live streaming: JioHotstar app and website
TV broadcast: star sports network channel
Match time: All matches will start at 1:30 pm Indian time.
