IND v AFG 2018: Will decide on team composition only after seeing the pitch, says Afghanistan coach Phil Simmons

Afghanistan will reach Bengaluru a couple of days after the T20 series gets over, on June 7.

Rashid Khan will be a crucial weapon for Afghanistan in India | Getty Images

Afghanistan head Coach Phil Simmons has made it clear on Wednesday (30 May) that they will pick their final Playing XI only after taking a look at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium wicket for the historic one-off Test match next month.

This week, Afghanistan announced a 16 - man squad with four spinners for their maiden Test against India, starting from 14 June in Bengaluru, but the touring side will take a final call on the Plying XI only after reaching Bengaluru to see how India prepared the wicket for the historical match.

Simmons told Sportstar, “We also have four seamers in the team. We are just preparing and we will decide [on the plan] when we reach in Bengaluru.  Once we see how they have prepared the wicket, we will decide whether to play four spinners or not.”

On Afghanistan’ debut in the traditional format of a game after proving its mettle in the White-ball cricket, Simmons noted, “The main thing is that the players need to start thinking [about] how to play a longer format. It is all about how you practice and it is also about batting for long periods and bowling in the right areas consistently. That’s what we are working on.”

On being asked what would be the roadmap for the next couple of years, the Coach said, “If we get more cricket, our [performance in the] longer format will improve. The more they play, the quicker they improve. If we play more Test cricket, we will get better.”

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 31 May, 2018

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