5 takeaways from India's T20I squad against Afghanistan

India's three-match series - their only T20I assignment before the 2024 T20 World Cup - against Afghanistan begins today in Mohali. The team announcement for the series marked the return of skipper Rohit Sharma to the T20I format after more than a year. As India prepares for the T20 World Cup, they will be looking to find the right set of combinations. The young players will have the perfect opportunity to shine for the team and increase their chances of making the cut. Here are the Top 5 takeaways from the squad announcement.

Rohit, Virat's return: India stalwart batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will mark their return after playing their last T20I more than a year ago. With the T20 World Cup approaching, their return will bolster India's attempt to fight the right combination for the mega tournament.

Wicketkeeping options: With Rishabh Pant still recovering from his injuries and KL Rahul not included in the squad, the likes of Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson (pictured) will have the opportunity to impress and make their place in the T20 World Cup set up.

Middle-order set-up: Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel will make up India's middle order and all three are known for playing some quick-fire knocks, especially towards death. All three left-handed batters will look to add versatility to the India line-up.

Pace trio: Arshdeep Singh (pictured), Avesh Khan and Mukesh Kumar will lead the bowling line-up in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj. With Siraj struggling in the T20I, all three pacers will have the opportunity to make their spot in the team.

A batsman to watch out for: Rinku Singh, the young batter will be the one to watch out for during the entire series. He has produced some tremendous performances in the IPL as well as during India's series against South Africa. He could be one of the players who could breakthrough to seal his place in the T20 World Cup squad.