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Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott has said that the visitors will miss the presence of star spinner Rashid Khan during their maiden tour of India.
Rashid travelled to Chandigarh with the team but got ruled out of the entire series after Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran indicated that the leg-spinner was not match-fit. Trott, while speaking to JioCinema, stated that Rashid's absence presents an opportunity for others to stand up and take responsibility for the team. "I believe, with Rashid out of the side, it's a good opportunity for other players to come in and step up and become household names like he is. Obviously, we are going to miss a player like Rashid, his leadership and the overall package he brings to the side. But it'll be good to see who is going to stand up and take responsibility and pressure, just a couple of months after the World Cup," Trott said. Afghanistan's spin attack will include Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Qais Ahmad and Sharafuddin Ashraf in lieu of Rashid. But they will face a tough challenge as skipper Rohit Sharma and stalwart batter Virat Kohli will be returning to the T20I after spending more than a year away from the format. However, in the first game, Kohli won't be a part of the playing XI, after head coach Rahul Dravid confirmed in the pre-match press conference that the experienced batter would miss the opener due to personal reasons. Afghanistan's maiden bilateral series will kick off on Thursday in Mohali. The second game will be played on January 14 in Indore and the series will conclude on January 17 in Bengaluru. Afghanistan squad: Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmaullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan. (ANI)
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