India captain Shreyas Iyer (left) and Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran during the inauguration of the Friendship Cup ahead of the first T20I cricket series match in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: PTI
In a year where India and Afghanistan have played a one-off Test and three ODIs, there is a sense of familiarity as the Asian sides meet again for the T20I series. However, it will be uncharted territory given the unique nature of Afghanistan being the official venue for the three-match assignment in the heart of India’s capital.
The Afghans have played home matches in India before, but never against the Men in Blue. Another feature is the timing of the series: India’s international domestic season usually starts in October.
Once the action begins under dusky skies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, India will hope there are no more deviations from the norm as Shreyas Iyer and company look to enter the Asian Games in Japan in red-hot form. India, which won the T20 World Cup in March for a second title in a row, begins the series as clear favourites. But they don’t want to risk resting on their laurels, especially after the shock defeat to Ireland in June when Shreyas was named full-time captain for the first time.
The 31-year-old’s life in the hot seat hasn’t been easy. Having suffered a 4-0 defeat to England after the setback against Ireland, Shreyas needed a three-match tour of Zimbabwe to savor the aftertaste of his first victory as captain.
In southern Africa, Vaibhav Suryavanshi played his role for two half-centuries, a shining reflection of the amazing skill that bubbled through his veins. The 15-year-old left-hander may have struggled early in the game against Jofra Archer and co, but he looked completely at ease in fending off Zimbabwe’s attack in Harare. The Afghans, with the speed of Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi, will surely try to test the 15-year-old with a short trick. It’s a challenge the teen star would love to take on.
Meanwhile, with a fit Jasprit Bumrah back at full capacity, the weaknesses that were exposed with the ball in the UK should not resurface. He may turn 33 in December, but he remains the undisputed leader of the Indian team.
While India is getting used to Shreyas’ style of leadership, Afghanistan is in the process of absorbing the ideas of the new captain-coach combination of Ibrahim Zadran and Richard Pybus. The next three T20Is could be a testament to their imprint on the team.
Teams (from): Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Darwish Rasouli, Noor ul Rahman (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sedikullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Nangeyaliya Harote, Rashid Khan, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Fazalhak Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad.
India: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suoryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jaspreet Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur.
The match starts at 19:00.
Published – September 12, 2026 07:12 PM EST.