This will be a different series as Afghanistan will host India for three T20Is in New Delhi. Afghanistan have played home matches in India before, but this is their first such series against India. The series also starts in September, while India’s home season usually begins in October.
The first T20I will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday. India will enter the series as favourites after winning the T20 World Cup in March for the second time in a row. Shreyas Iyer’s team will also use the series to prepare for the Asian Games in Japan. India will want a strong start after losing a T20I series to Ireland in June.
Iyer’s start as full-time captain has not been easy. India also suffered a 4-0 defeat against England after the Ireland series. They finally gave Iyer his first series win as captain during the recent tour of Zimbabwe. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was also impressive in Zimbabwe, scoring two half-centuries. The 15-year-old left-hander struggled against Jofra Archer and England but looked comfortable against Zimbabwe.
Afghanistan have fast bowlers such as Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi, who could test Sooryavanshi with short-pitched bowling. Jasprit Bumrah is also back and fully fit, giving India a major boost with the ball. Afghanistan are also starting a new era under captain Ibrahim Zadran and coach Richard Pybus. The three T20Is will give them a chance to show their new plans.
Most Runs for Afghanistan vs India in T20Is: Top 10 Players
| Rank | Player | Mat | Runs | HS | Ave | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gulbadin Naib | 7 | 179 | 57 | 44.75 | 130.65 |
| 2 | Mohammad Nabi | 8 | 177 | 42 | 22.12 | 132.08 |
| 3 | Ibrahim Zadran | 5 | 155 | 64* | 38.75 | 108.39 |
| 4 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | 6 | 117 | 50 | 19.50 | 132.95 |
| 5 | Najibullah Zadran | 7 | 82 | 23 | 13.66 | 118.84 |
| 6 | Karim Janat | 6 | 76 | 42* | 19.00 | 158.33 |
| 7 | Azmatullah Omarzai | 5 | 58 | 29 | 11.60 | 107.40 |
| 8 | Noor Ali Zadran | 2 | 51 | 50 | 25.50 | 98.07 |
| 9 | Shahidullah | 1 | 49 | 49* | – | 113.95 |
| 10 | Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 3 | 39 | 21 | 19.50 | 177.27 |