For India, like for the other teams in the Super Eight stage, the T20 World Cup begins now. Having secured qualification from the group phase at the first time of asking, Rohit Sharma’s men begin their quest for a first World Cup crown since 2011 against Afghanistan on Thursday morning at the Kensington Oval, armed with the knowledge that they are unbeaten in eight T20I encounters against their opponents, but also not unaware that that will count for little.

Great start by Afghans

Afghanistan began the tournament like a house on fire, scoring three crushing wins on the bounce—against perennial World Cup overachievers New Zealand—before suffering a huge defeat to West Indies on Monday night. They boast the tournament’s highest run-getter, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and the highest wicket-taker, Fazalhaq Farooqi, in the league phase, but Thursday is a fresh start and Rashid Khan will know the magnitude of the task that lies ahead of his team.