The third match of the ICC World T20 will see India play their first ever international game against their Asian counterparts, Afghanistan. For Afghanistan, this will be their maiden appearance in an ICC World Cup event from either format – fifty or twenty overs cricket.

All the right noises have been made by the captain MS Dhoni about not India (1/20 at Sky Bet) taking their Afghanistan match lightly. On the other hand, Afghanistan (12/1 at Bet Fred) have been on a roll, ever since they were promoted from one division to another in the qualifying process for next year’s World Cup, and in the end, have reached the World T20 stage. Given that they have performed well at the Associates level, and are an unknown quantity to an extent, they will be a dangerous opposition for the Indians.

The Indian side will replete of all-rounders. With Yusuf Pathan (12/1 at 888Sport to top-score for the side) expected to play down the order, and Ravindra Jadeja (25/1 at Bet Fred to be the best batsman) doing a good job with the ball and Harbhajan Singh with the bat, the balance of the side looks good. However, bulk of the work will have to be done by the top three in the order. Gautam Gambhir should continue to open the innings, but whether Murali Vijay will make his international T20 debut remains to be seen.

The other option for Dhoni (6/1 at Boylesports) is to go with the tried and tested pair of Dinesh Karthik (10/1 at Bet365) and Gambhir (3/1 at Ladbrokes, both to top-score for his side) at the top, but one gets the sense that Dhoni will back his Chennai Super Kings team-mate, Vijay.

Afghanistan has usually been bolstered by the all-round skills of Mohammad Nabi (8/1 at Sky Bet), the batting of Noor Ali (4/1 at 888Sport) and the captaincy of Nowroz Mangal (5/1 at 888Sport, all to top-score for their side). The troika are the backbone of Afghanistan’s success so far, and will be the players to watch out for, amongst the 11 who will create history for the war-torn country.

Tips:
Favourites: India (1/20 at Sky Bet)
Top India batsman: Gautam Gambhir (3/1 at Ladbrokes)
Top Afghanistan batsman: Mohammad Nabi (8/1 at Sky Bet)