Afghanistan's head coach, Jonathan Trott, is looking for a smart game plan for the upcoming third and final T20I against India, which will be played on Wednesday, January 17, in Bengaluru.
Trott highlighted the importance of putting pressure on Indian batters during the middle overs to gain an advantage in the final game of the ongoing three-match T20I series. However, Team India has secured a 2-0 lead in the T20I series, and Afghanistan aims for a comeback in the third T20I in Bengaluru.
The Afghan coach believes that it is very important for his players to gain valuable experience in the middle overs, keeping an eye on the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and West Indies.
Jonathan Trott said in a pre-match press conference: “I will be looking at getting closer to a good 40 overs from us tomorrow. Being able to put some pressure on the Indian side in the middle overs with the ball would be nice.”
Speaking about the injured spinner Rashid Khan’s return, the coach said: “There is no real time-frame. I hope it is sooner rather than later. But there is no pressure and no rush.”
Trott believes that lack of experience in T20Is played a key role in their batting struggles in the ongoing series in India, and he suggested the team focus on building partnerships and making sure to finish strong in the last 10 overs.
He signed off by saying, “Hopefully, tomorrow we can get it all together. We need batters going into the last ten. We have seen how hard it is to stop batters in the last five overs.”
(With PTI Inputs)
