The T20I series in Delhi against India may well be doen and dusted for all practical purposes, but there is plenty for Afghanistan to still think about.
India produced two near-identical comprehensive wins inside three days to take an unassailable 2-0 lead whereas “hosts” Afghanistan have been competitive only in patches. In the first game, Azmatullah Omarzai’s 64 kept them alive after a top-order collapse. In the second, Ibrahim Zadran’s 37 and some late fireworks from Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan lifted them to a respectable 159. Neither total was enough though. India’s top order has made the chase look routine on both occasions with Abhishek Sharma setting the tone in the opener and Sanju Samson’s 22-ball 57 sealing off the series. Their bowling has looked considerably rounded too with Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh returns, while Nitish Kumar Reddy has proved a handy option with the ball too.
Afghanistan’s biggest concern is at the top of the order. They are either losing a heap of wickets inside the Powerplay or it’s the high-dot ball consumption that pushes them on the backfoot inside the first 30 minutes of play. They’ve then spent the rest of the game playing catch-up. A more proactive batting order could help. Omarzai, who rescued them from 43/5, and the liked of Nabi and Rashid, who did the heavy lifting in the second game, could all potentially offer more if they were weren’t all stacked up outside of top-five. Spreading that experience through the order may give Afghanistan a better chance of avoiding another fatal collapse or stall.
Their bowling was marginally better in the second game, but India’s in-form batting has made Afghanistan’s reliance on spinners look one-dimensional. Their spinners have struggled to create enough doubt, with India’s batters repeatedly lining them up for expensive overs.
For India, Thursday is an opportunity to step outside their comfort zone. With the series already secured and the Asian Games looming, Shreyas Iyer has spoken about giving those on the bench some game time to acclimatise. India could therefore tweak their combination, perhaps squeezing in another all-rounder or an extra seamer, while also testing their batters in conditions where, frankly, Afghanistan haven’t been able to pose too many questions.
After two dominant wins, India have little left to prove in this series. Afghanistan, meanwhile, have one final opportunity to gain some answers, if not all, from a seemingly dead rubber.
When: Thursday, September 17 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
What to expect: Clear skies, high humidity and a pitch full of runs if the side batting first can apply themselves.
Teams Watch
AFGHANISTAN
Injuries & Availability: Afghanistan don’t have any injury concerns but could consider changing their line-up for the dead rubber ahead per say. They could bring in an extra seamer because spin hasn’t traditionally proven very penetrative against India for them.
Tactics & Match-ups: Abhishek Sharma has been dismissed twice by Rashid Khan in six T20 innings, but the left-hander has a strike rate of 237.77 against him. Meanwhile, the Afghanistan legspinner has a more favourable match-up against Shreyas Iyer, having dismissed him thrice (including the previous game), with the batter having an SR of only 120 against him.
Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman/Naveen-ul-Haq/Abdullah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi
INDIA
Injuries & Availability: None since Varun Chakaravarthy had been ruled out ahead of Game 2. Shreyas Iyer indicated he might tinker with the line-up for the final game to give some bench players game time to get used to the conditions. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could be one of those getting a look in, and Shivam Dube might make way for an extra bowler.
Tactics & Match-ups: Rahmanullah Gurbaz has an SR of 37.50 against Jasprit Bumrah and 114.28 against Arshdeep Singh – the two bowlers who dismissed him for ducks in his last two innings.
Probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk)/Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah
Did you know?
– Abhishek Sharma has a strike rate of 191.27 in overs 1-6 in T20 cricket since 2024. The next best with a 750-ball cut-off is Travis Head (176.85)
– Since 2025, Tilak Varma has an SR of 154.33 against pace in all T20s. Meanwhile, against spin has he an SR of only 116.97
What they said:
“We thought about the things that can help improve that 150-160 [total] to 200-plus. We need to bring that intent… But, this is the second game we have had in this year [since the World Cup seven months ago]. We didn’t get any lots of games. As soon as we improve in that area [execution with the bat], I’m pretty sure we will challenge the biggest team.” – Ibrahim Zadran, Afghanistan captain, on where his team fell short
“We want all of them to get used to the wicket and the conditions and also get some practice. So it would be a nice game to give opportunities to the players, especially who have been sitting out, and also change a little bit in the combination as well.” – Shreyas Iyer, India captain, on possible changes for the third T20I