Team India likely to test bench strength against Afghanistan today

It needs to be seen if the team management would disturb the winning combination and go in with a different line-up as India have two day's rest after the match, or prefer to keep the same team

Having comprehensively defeated Pakistan by nine wickets on Sunday and booking a berth in Friday's final, India have an unfinished task before they set their mind on the title clash. They face Afghanistan, who are already out of the fray in the ongoing Asia Cup (after losing to both Bangladesh and Pakistan, in their last Super Four match) today to complete the formality.

This gives India the opportunity to give untried players as well as the untested middle-order batsmen some time in the middle, before the all-important final. Will India bring in the likes of Manish Pandey and KL Rahul in the batting line-up and bowlers Khaleel Ahmed and Siddharth Kaul in a match of little consequence? It needs to be seen if the team management would disturb the winning combination and go in with a different line-up as India have two day's rest after that match, or prefer to keep the same team.

After India began the tournament in whirlwind fashion, playing back-to-back games and a match every alternate day thereafter, they can now take it easy as they have enough days to recuperate from the blazing afternoon heat which would have taken some toll on the body. In that circumstance, it would be a good India to give the untried and untested players a chance, even at the cost of resting MS Dhoni.

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