Why are Mohammed Siraj and Karim Janat not playing T20 World Cup 2024 Match 43 between Afghanistan vs India?

India and Afghanistan are squaring off in match No. 43 of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados on Thursday, June 20.

Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first. He announced that Mohammed Siraj is not playing the Super Eight clash and is being replaced by Kuldeep Yadav, who will be playing his first game in the tournament.

Siraj played three games so far in the 2024 T20 World Cup and picked up only a solitary wicket. However, he bowled with good control and proved to be quite economical. While Rohit did not give any reasons for the change, it is understood that the Indian team management feel spinners could play a key role in the Caribbean conditions.

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Meanwhile, Rashid Khan announced that the big-hitting Hazratullah Zazai is playing this high-voltage clash in place of all-rounder Karim Janat. Afghanistan have a very strong bowling lineup and have decided to bolster their batting with the inclusion of Zazai.

Rohit mentioned the lack of grass on the pitch and reckoned that it will get slower as the game goes on. He spoke about the importance of adapting to the conditions.

"We are going to bat first. Looks alright at this moment, looks a good track. No grass on the pitch, I guess it will get slower. It's better than New York. We have to adapt to the conditions quickly. We have been here for a couple of days, we have played a lot of cricket. It's about understanding what we need to do in conditions like these. It's an early start. Usually start in the evening elsewhere. We enjoy playing here. We have made one change, Kuldeep comes in for Siraj," Rohit said at the toss.

Rashid noted that it is important for the players to control their emotions and play their natural game when they come up against good teams. "We would have liked to bat first. It's more about how you play the game in T20s. Happy with our preparations and how things have gone. We are facing good teams, need to control our emotions and play our natural game. It does help getting used to the conditions. We have to play good cricket. We have one change, Karim Janat is not playing, Zazai comes in," Rashid stated.