Afghanistan may be the hosts, but India will be the more familiar side when the three-match T20I series gets underway at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.
All three matches of the Freedom T20 Cup will be staged in the Indian capital, with Afghanistan serving as the official home team. India, meanwhile, will use the visitors’ dressing room despite playing in familiar surroundings. It is a unique arrangement and marks the first time Afghanistan will host India on Indian soil.
The first T20I will be played on September 13, with the toss scheduled for 6:30 PM IST. The match will be streamed live on FanCode and televised by Sony Sports.
India arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday and have wasted little time stepping up preparations. The series is particularly important because it is their final bilateral assignment before the Asian Games in Japan.
The BCCI has opted for a strong squad for the multi-sport event, where cricket carries added significance. The gold medallists at the Asian Games will earn qualification for the 2028 Olympics, making India’s preparations even more important.
Shreyas Iyer has almost his entire first-choice group available, with Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana the notable absentees. Jasprit Bumrah’s return to the T20I setup provides another major boost.
India, however, have plenty to prove. Their T20I results since winning the World Cup have been inconsistent, with a 0-2 loss in Ireland followed by a series defeat in England before they bounced back against Zimbabwe.
The Afghanistan series gives India three competitive games to fine-tune their combinations before the Asian Games. Afghanistan have become a formidable T20 side and are unlikely to provide an easy test.
INDIA’S SELECTION PUZZLE
India’s biggest headache comes at the top of the batting order.
Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and returning Sanju Samson are all in contention, but there may be room for only two of them in the playing XI.
Samson missed the Zimbabwe tour, while Sooryavanshi had to wait for his international debut during the Ireland and England assignments. With all three now available, Iyer has a difficult decision to make.
“All three of them, having them in the team is a luxury first of all, and they are flawless in their own departments. Well, it is going to be a tight call because they have been performing consistently,” Iyer said.
The captain also stressed the importance of keeping those left out of the XI confident and ready for their opportunity.
The final call could come at the toss, but Samson and Abhishek are understood to be in contention to open, potentially leaving Sooryavanshi on the bench.
Ishan Kishan’s fitness is another factor. Kishan picked up a back injury during training, although Iyer played down the concern. If he is unavailable to keep wicket, Samson could take over the gloves.
PLENTY OF ALL-ROUND OPTIONS
India also have several combinations to choose from in the all-rounder department.
Washington Sundar is fit again, while Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel are all available. Nitish bowled at full pace in training and could be particularly valuable because of his ability to contribute in both departments.
The specialist spin-bowling all-rounder role could come down to Axar and Washington, while Varun Chakravarthy is expected to return after his injury layoff.
With Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh likely to spearhead the pace attack, Yash Thakur could have to wait for his chance after being added to the squad as Harshit Rana’s replacement.
AFGHANISTAN TARGET HISTORIC FIRST WIN
Afghanistan enter the series with a full-strength squad and a new captain in Ibrahim Zadran.
The visitors—or hosts, officially—will be chasing a historic result: their first T20I victory over India.
Afghanistan have never beaten India in the format, although they have pushed them close on several occasions. Their two Super Overs against India in 2024 remain evidence of how competitive the rivalry can be.
Playing all three matches in New Delhi could work in Afghanistan’s favour. The team has already spent considerable time training in the city and will have the advantage of familiarising itself with the same conditions throughout the series.
Naveen-ul-Haq and Gulbadin Naib are also back from injury, adding experience to a squad that already includes Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
Afghanistan know India will start as favourites, but the series presents Ibrahim’s side with an opportunity to finally change the head-to-head record.
CAPTAINS KEEP FOCUS ON THE PRESENT
Iyer has urged India to concentrate on the opening game rather than looking too far ahead at the Asian Games.
“We will go game by game. We don’t want to think too far ahead about the Asian Games. We are thinking about the first game. We know Afghanistan are a good team, and our preparation has also been promising over the last couple of days,” he said.
“The players are looking in great shape and have the right mindset. So, we have to stay in the present and make sure we deliver when the time comes.”
Zadran, meanwhile, believes Afghanistan have already demonstrated that they can compete with India.
“Yes, we have played better cricket against India. In 2024, we had two Super Overs against them in the T20 series. And at the ICC event, we have played better cricket against them,” he said.
“We’ve never beaten them. Hopefully, we’re going to play a good series, win games and win a series against them.”
Zadran added that Afghanistan’s priority would be to execute their plans properly and avoid making the contest unnecessarily complicated.
PREDICTED PLAYING XIs
India: Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Gulbadin Naib, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq.
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