Following the Test series victory in Sri Lanka, the Indian cricket team will resume white-ball action in international cricket as Shreyas Iyer’s team will take on Afghanistan in a three-T20I series in a few days.
The three-match India vs Afghanistan T20I series will begin on September 13, with the next two matches to be played on September 15 and 17. All three matches will be hosted at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, with Afghanistan being the designated host of this series.
Both teams have picked up the strongest squads from the players who were available. The BCCI named Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar in the squad, though all had an asterisk beside their name, suggesting that their participation in the series will be contingent on them clearing fitness tests and getting the green signal from the CoE in Bengaluru.
Bumrah, Harshit, and Sundar sustained injuries on the white-ball UK tour, while Reddy has been out of action since June.
Varun Chakaravarthy, who also suffered a hamstring strain in England, is declared fit for the Afghanistan T20Is.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya is not part of the squad to face Afghanistan. Pandya, interestingly, was not named in the Asian Games squad. Hardik’s last professional appearance was in the IPL.
Between the UK tour – where India lost 2-0 to Ireland and 4-0 to England – and the upcoming IND vs AFG series, a second-string squad toured Zimbabwe, where they clinched the series 3-0. Of the squad that won in Zimbabwe, eight players have been changed.
A talking point ahead of the IND vs AFG T20I series will be the opening combination. While Abhishek Sharma’s spot seems fixed at the moment, the debate of Sanju Samson vs Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will rage on.
IND vs AFG: Where To Watch India vs Afghanistan T20I Series? TV Channel, Live Streaming Details
Sony Sports Network has grabbed the broadcast rights for the India vs Afghanistan T20I series. This means that Indian viewers will be able to watch this series on the Sony Sports TV channels, and fans can live stream it on the Sony Liv app and website on their digital devices.
Sony Pictures Network India confirmed this news recently. The company’s Chief Revenue Officer and Business Head India, Rajesh Kaul, said in a press release, “The Afghanistan-India T20I series further strengthens Sony Sports Network’s cricket portfolio and adds another exciting contest to our ongoing ‘Festival of Sports’ offering.”
Meanwhile, Afghanistan will be led by their new captain Ibrahim Zadran, who replaces Rashid Khan. Pacer Naveen-ul-Haq will return to international cricket after almost two years. Retired from ODI cricket, Naveen missed the Asia Cup 2025 and T20 World Cup 2026 due to a shoulder injury.
Veteran all-rounders Gulbadin Naib and Mohammad Nabi and rising star Azmatullah Omarzai continue to be strongholds of the Afghanistan T20I lineup, while Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Fazal Haq Farooqi are set to partner Rashid in the bowling department.
India squad for Afghanistan T20Is:
Shreyas Iyer (C), Axar Patel, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar*
*Subject to fitness
Afghanistan squad vs India for T20I series:
Ibrahim Zadran (C), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Rahman (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Naveen-ul-Haq, Darwish Rasooli, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad
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