T20 World Cup 2021: "If Suryakumar Yadav is fit, India should play him over Ishan Kishan" - Ashish Nehra

India batter Suryakumar Yadav missed the 2021 T20 World Cup match against New Zealand with back spasms. He was replaced in the team by fellow Mumbai Indians star Ishan Kishan, who was pushed up to open with Rohit Sharma moving down to No.3 and Virat Kohli to No.4.

Former India pacer Ashish Nehra believes that if Suryakumar is fit for India's match against Afghanistan today, he should be brought back in for Kishan.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Nehra said:

"If it was in my hands, I would definitely play Suryakumar Yadav. It’s not that Ishan Kishan is not a good player, you cannot judge someone based on one bad game. I would play Suryakumar Yadav because one, if he plays then Rohit Sharma can go back to opening, which I feel is a very crucial position and there isn’t a better player than him to do it. Secondly, Virat Kohli can go back to number 3, because number 4 In T20s is too low a position for him. Thirdly, you are playing against Afghanistan, which is a spin-heavy team. And when you talk about playing spin, the way Suryakumar Yadav has been playing the last few years, that is why you have picked him in the squad."

Elaborating on the third point, Nehra added:

"This is a big ground and you can’t just deal in sixes. Ishan Kishan is someone who deals in sixes. Suryakumar Yadav can hit boundaries and take on singles as well. So if Suryakumar Yadav is fit, I would definitely play him."

The match is set to be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

India to face tough challenge against Afghanistan spin attack, batters: Ashish Nehra

Ashish Nehra is of the opinion that Afghanistan's spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi will be very difficult for India to contend with. The former India also pointed out that Afghanistan are not just reliant on their bowling and have enough batting firepower to trouble their opponents.

"Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will be especially dangerous. Nabi is also there, but India play well against off-spinners, and while that doesn’t mean he will be easy to play, Rashid and Mujeeb have shown that around the world, they make life difficult for batters. But I would say it’s not just their spinners, but their batters also complement them. It’s not like they are only dependant on their bowling," Nehra said.

He went on to say that with their all-round abilities, Afghanistan pose a major challenge for India. Nehra believe the Virat Kohli-led team will need to bring out their best to come away with a win.

He said:

"Even though they have always elected to bat first and they have more confidence in their bowlers to defend totals, but the way they have batted, they have a lot of talent and a few exciting players. So the Indian team should be ready for a tough fight. They will have to bring their A-game against Afghanistan."

While Afghanistan are placed second in the Super 12 Group 2 table, India are yet to register their first win of the tournament. Virat Kohli and Co. lost to Pakistan and New Zealand in their two matches so far.