India and Afghanistan are set to meet in a three-match T20I series in New Delhi. The T20I opener is scheduled for September 13, 2026. The next two matches will take place on September 15 and 17, respectively, and all three games are scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM IST.
The series gives both teams an important opportunity to test their players and combinations. India will have several familiar faces in the squad. Afghanistan will look to their experienced campaigners to challenge the hosts. All three matches will take place in India, but Afghanistan will technically be the home team for this series since they are hosting the T20I series.
Shreyas Iyer will lead India, with Tilak Varma serving as his deputy. The series could also produce some interesting selection battles, particularly at the top of India’s batting order. Afghanistan, meanwhile, will rely heavily on their experienced spin attack.
With plenty of quality players on both sides, three names stand out ahead of the series.
3. Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson returns to the Indian T20I squad after missing the tour of Zimbabwe. The wicketkeeper-batter brings valuable experience to a relatively young Indian side and will be eager to make the most of his opportunity.
Samson played an important role when India defended their T20 World Cup title. He can play attacking cricket, which makes him a useful option at the top of the order.
However, his place in the XI will not be guaranteed. India have another exciting option in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has recently made a strong impression in T20I cricket. The competition between the two players could become one of the biggest talking points of the series.
Samson will therefore have to make his experience count. A strong performance against Afghanistan could help him strengthen his position in India’s plans.
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2. Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan remains one of Afghanistan’s biggest match-winners in T20 cricket. The leg-spinner has played the format all over the world and has regularly faced some of the best batters in the game.
Afghanistan have plenty of spin options in their squad, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi joining Rashid. That gives the visitors a highly experienced spin attack for the three-match series.
Rashid’s ability to control the middle overs could prove particularly important against India. He can attack the stumps, change his pace and use different variations to make scoring difficult for batters.
His experience in franchise cricket has also given him a strong understanding of T20 conditions. He knows when to attack and when to put pressure on the opposition by simply restricting the scoring.
India’s batters will have to find a way to deal with him without losing wickets. If Rashid gets important breakthroughs during the middle overs, Afghanistan could put India under serious pressure.
1. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi enters the series with plenty of confidence after an impressive T20I campaign in Zimbabwe. The young opener finished as India’s leading run-scorer during the team’s 3-0 series victory.
Sooryavanshi scored 151 runs across the three matches, making a strong impression at the top of the order.
The Afghanistan series will give him another chance to show that he belongs at the international level. However, he will face a completely different challenge this time.
Afghanistan possess one of the most experienced spin attacks in T20 cricket. Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi can all create problems for an aggressive young batter.
That battle could be fascinating to watch. Sooryavanshi likes to put pressure on bowlers, while Afghanistan have enough experience to know how to deal with attacking batters.
His performances could also have an impact on India’s opening combination. With Samson competing for a place, Sooryavanshi will want to continue scoring runs and make the selection decision even more difficult.
