India, despite a calendar clash with the home ODI’s against West Indies, which also start on Sunday, have sent their big guns to Japan in search of their second straight gold medal. If there is one team that can field multiple white-ball squads simultaneously, it is India, and they have done that. It is not officially known, however, why Afghanistan have sent such an inexperienced side when their next international fixture, a one-off Test against Bangladesh, only starts on October 9. Afghanistan aren’t alone in sending a second-string squad, perhaps to give their first-choice players some rest in an otherwise packed calendar.

The divide between the two sides is stark and even though they would want to take heart from the scare Japan handed India – even if in a rain-truncated game – recently, Afghanistan themselves lost to Nepal a couple of days ago. Now they have to compete against the world champions, a task they struggled with even at full strength earlier this month.

India have been plagued by injuries of late and one of the names on that list was of Washington Sundar,  who returned to action in the Japan T20I last week. He didn’t get to bat and bowled two overs and took two wickets while playing his first game in two months. India would want to give him more game time before he heads back home for the West Indies T20Is that start on October 6 in Lucknow. Barring his niggles, Washington has otherwise had an impressive year across formats with an unbeaten 52in an ODI to give India their first win of their UK tour after he took a four-for in the Test against Afghanistan, during which he also scored 52*.

Pace-bowling allrounder Ismat Alam, 24, has played two Tests and one T20I so far, Afghanistan’s opening game against Japan. Alam was the Player of the Tournament in Afghanistan’s domestic T20s – Shpageeza Cricket League – for scoring 294 runs at a strike rate of 168, while also taking nine wickets. He had starred on his Test debut last year, scoring a century in the lower order that set up Afghanistan’s victory over Zimbabwe. Afghanistan may want to give him a game and hope he steps up again on the big stage.

India had rested Jasprit Bumrah in the one-off T20I against Japan and played Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur as their quick options apart from legspinner Ravi Bishnoi and spin-bowling allrounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. India will now have to decide whom to leave out for Bumrah. The other question will be if India want to give Vaibhav Sooryavanshi a game early in the tournament, although Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson look undroppable given the runs they scored in the series against Afghanistan.

India (probable): Abhishek Sharma,  Sanju Samson (wk),  Ishan Kishan,  Shreyas Iyer (capt), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel,  Shivam Dube,  Washington Sundar,  Ravi Bishnoi,  Yash Thakur/Arshdeep Singh,  Jasprit Bumrah.

Against Nepal, Afghanistan gave a T20I debut to Faisal Shinozada who top-scored along with the experienced Najibullah Zadran, the only batters who scored in double-digits in the game.

Afghanistan (probable): Mohammad Akram,  Hassan Eisakhil,  Karim Janat,  Darwish Rasooli (capt),  Najibullah Zadran,  Mohammad Ishaq (wk),  Ismat Alam,  Nangeyalia Khan,  Abdollah Ahmadzai,  Faridoon Dawoodzai,  Arab Gul.

[Cricinfo]