IND vs AFG, 1st T20I: Team India captain Shreyas Iyer has provided a big update on Ishan Kishan’s availability for the first of the three T20Is against Afghanistan on September 13, Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
The development comes a day after the keeper-batter suffered an injury scare during a practice session while batting.
IND vs AFG, 1st T20I: Shreyas Iyer gives update on Ishan Kishan’s availability
The injury reportedly occurred as Kishan was trying to sway out of the way against fast bowler Navdeep Saini’s bouncer. The left-handed batter was attended by the team physio but was reported to be okay and batted the entire session. Speaking during a presser on September 12, Saturday, Iyer stated, as quoted by The Outlook:
“Ishan, I feel that he’s comfortable at the moment. I interacted with him after the practice session. It was just a small niggle, and he’s been playing continuous cricket. We all know the knock he played, so definitely a bit fatigued, but today he got that rest, and I’m sure that he will be fine for tomorrow.”
Kishan remains a vital part of the Men in Blue’s batting line-up and contributed heavily to India’s second consecutive and third T20 World Cup victory earlier this year. In the process, the sub-continent nation also became the first side to lift the T20 World Cup on home soil. With 317 runs in nine innings at 35.22 alongside a strike rate of 193.29, the youngster finished as India’s second-highest run-getter of T20 World Cup 2026, behind Sanju Samson, who aggregated 321 runs to be crowned as the Player of the Tournament. The 28-year-old also performed outstandingly well in IPL 2026, amassing 602 runs in 15 games for the SunRisers Hyderabad as they entered the playoffs. His tally was second to Heinrich Klaasen for the Orange Army.
IND vs AFG, 1st T20I: Who will open the innings for India? Shreyas Iyer expects tight call
Iyer went on to claim that India face a dilemma on who to choose as openers between Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, given how well all three play, adding, as quoted by The Hindustan Times:
“All three of them (Abhishek, Sanju and Sooryavanshi), having them in the team is a luxury first of all, and they are flawless in their own departments. Well, it is going to be a tight call because they have been performing consistently. And see, whoever gets the opportunity, it’s definitely for the team’s benefit. And the player sitting outside, it’s important that I have an interaction with him, along with the coach and give them that confidence. That you know what, no matter what, you will get your opportunity when the day comes.”