Former India pace bowler Zaheer Khan believes that Team India’s upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan will give a clear picture of their plans for the all-important T20 World Cup 2024. This will be India’s final T20 series ahead of the marquee event. Zaheer also expects Afghanistan to give India a tough fight 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.”

READ MORE: “I want to play cricket for as long as I can” – Nathan Lyon

However, the T20I series opener will be played at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on January 11. It will be interesting to see if Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play. Zaheer Khan also opined on how Rinku Singh has made a name for himself in the early phase of his international career. He also stated that the talented player will be the player to watch out for in the series. While speaking about Afghanistan’s squad, he named veteran spinner Rashid Khan as their best bet against India 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,” Zaheer Khan concluded.