India begins Afghanistan T20I series with eye on Asian Games

India face Afghanistan in the first of three T20Is at New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. With the 2026 Asian Games approaching, both teams will look to test combinations and build momentum ahead of the continental multi-sport event.

New Delhi: India will begin their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan with the opening match at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, as both sides look to fine-tune their preparations for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

Afghanistan is serving as the host for the whole series. The remaining two matches will also be played in the same venue.

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India will enter the opening game with a strong record against Afghanistan in the shortest format. The two teams have faced each other nine times, with India winning eight matches, while one game ended without a result.

The Indian side will be keen to begin the series on a positive note after an inconsistent start to the new T20 cycle. The team suffered defeats against Ireland and England and will now look to build momentum against a strong Afghanistan outfit.

India have a mix of experienced players and young talent in the squad. Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah are among the key names, while 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is also expected to attract attention after making his international debut during India’s recent tour of England.

Afghanistan, led by Ibrahim Zadran, have several proven match-winners in their ranks. Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi bring considerable international experience to the side.

The first T20I will also give both teams a chance to assess their combinations ahead of the Asian Games.

When: Sunday, September 13, 7:30 PM IST

Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi

Where to watch: The match will be shown live on Sony Sports Ten 3, 4 and 5 SD and HD channels on TV. Live-streaming will be available on the FanCode app and website.

Squads

India: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Yash Thakur

Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Noor Rahman (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Naveen-ul-Haq.