Fans are eagerly awaiting the beginning of the IND vs AFG T20I series as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is expected to be in action once again in India colors.
The 15-year-old teenage sensation made his T20I debut in England at the start of July but made his first big splash in international cricket in Zimbabwe later in the same month. In the three-T20I series in Zimbabwe, Sooryavanshi cracked two fifties and returned with the Man of the Series trophy.
However, his place in the India playing XI isn’t certain yet, as the management will once again weigh him up against Sanju Samson, the Player of the Tournament of the ICC T20 World Cup earlier this year.
The Sooryavanshi vs Samson is a very tricky debate for both the Indian team management and the fans. One has strong reasons to believe that the youngster might edge out the senior opener from Kerala as the India vs Afghanistan series is on the horizon, but given the number of lefties in India’s top 7, Samson provides a crucial difference of style. The debate will rage on once again later this month when India participates in the Asian Games in Japan.
IND vs AFG: When and where is the India vs Afghanistan T20I series?
The India vs Afghanistan three-match T20I series will start on September 13, followed by matches on September 15 and 17. All three games will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Although the matches are being hosted in Delhi, Afghanistan is the designated host for this series.
The BCCI has selected the strongest squad from the available players. This means a return of Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Varun Chakravarthy from injuries.
However, Hardik Pandya, who is recovering from back spasms that were followed by a quadriceps injury, is not available until next month. And also, Harshit Rana, who was named in the squad initially, has been ruled out and replaced with Yash Thakur.
Many of the players pick themselves in India’s first-choice XI for the IND vs AFG 1st T20I. This includes opener Abhishek Sharma, captain Shreyas Iyer, vice-captain Tilak Varma, wicket-keeper Ishan Kishan, all-rounders Axar Patel and Shivam Dube, mystery spinner Chakravarthy, and fast bowlers Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh.
India are expected to go with a third all-rounder, which would pit Sundar against Reddy for this spot, the selection largely depending on the pitch.
Ravi Bishoni and Yash Thakur will all but certainly be benched.
IND vs AFG: India Playing XI For 1st T20I Against Afghanistan – Predicted
- Abhishek Sharma
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi/Sanju Samson
- Ishan Kishan (wk)
- Tilak Varma (vc)
- Shreyas Iyer (C)
- Axar Patel
- Nitish Kumar Reddy/Washington Sundar
- Shivam Dube
- Varun Chakrvarthy
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Arshdeep Singh
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.
