India vs Afghanistan Match Prediction: Who will win today's 2023 World Cup match?

Team India's 2023 World Cup journey reaches the capital city of New Delhi, as they take on neighbors Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Match 9 of the marquee event.

Having last faced each other in an ODI in the 2019 edition of the tournament, this game marks the first instance of India and Afghanistan facing each other in the format on Indian shores. Interestingly enough, the Afghans came close to upsetting the Men in Blue back then before a Mohammed Shami hat-trick turbocharged India to a narrow 11-run win.

Both teams enter this all-important contest on the back of contrasting results. India prevailed over Australia in Chennai, while Afghanistan received a thrashing at the hands of Bangladesh in Dharamsala.

The two teams were also scheduled to meet in an ODI series in June this year before that was shelved. There is the familiarity factor with quite a few players in the Afghanistan side having plied their trade in the IPL. But as cliched as it sounds, both teams will begin from scratch as they set out to take a massive step forward in their respective 2023 World Cup journeys.

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India start favorites against Afghanistan in 2023 World Cup

All eyes will be on hometown hero Virat Kohli on Wednesday.

The rankings tell a story, as does the experience in the two sides. By that logic alone, it is no surprise that Rohit Sharma and Co. are favorites for this 2023 World Cup contest.

But there are a few things to look into in detail. When the schedule for the tournament was drawn up, it was widely deemed that Afghanistan would pose India a tricky acid test with conditions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium known to assist spin.

Cut to the first game of the 2023 World Cup at the venue though and what transpired was a totally different story. South Africa and Sri Lanka aggregated a whopping 754 runs on a batting paradise.

If the wicket plays out in similar fashion, it negates Afghanistan's USP - a potent spin attack headlined by Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi - to a massive extent. That India are also set to be without the indisposed Shubman Gill means that a flat pitch is something they will heartily accept.

The hosts are stacked with match-winners aplenty with the bat and enter this game on the back of Virat Kohli and KL Rahul showing that they are better prepared to arrest top-order collapses this time around. As for Afghanistan, plenty seems to hinge on Rahmanullah Gurbaz up top with the rest of the lineup often crashing down at the fall of his wicket.

Oh, there's another interesting subplot to look forward to - the prospect of Naveen-ul-Haq running in to Virat Kohli from the end that has a pavilion named after the Indian superstar. It's the kind of script that would give fantasy storytellers a run for their money and one that ought to send the stock of the meme industry skyrocketing.

But for all the talent in the Afghan ranks, it's going to take something incredibly cohesive to alter the narrative around the favorites' tag for this clash and write a whole new script altogether.

Prediction: India to win Match 9 of the 2023 World Cup.

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Can Afghanistan prevent India from their second consecutive win at the 2023 World Cup? Have your say in the comments section below!

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