India will begin their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, with the reigning T20 world champions looking to put their recent struggles behind them.
The Indian team returns to home conditions after an inconsistent run in T20Is. They swept Zimbabwe 3-0 in July but struggled during their tour of Europe, where Ireland and England both beat them in their respective series.
The top order will be under the spotlight once again. Abhishek Sharma has struggled for runs in recent matches, while Sanju Samson’s place in the side has come under pressure. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s emergence has added another option at the top, while Ishan Kishan has strengthened his case for the No. 3 position with a strong run of form.
Kishan’s 270 in the Duleep Trophy final was the latest highlight in what has been an impressive period since his return to the national setup. His form could make it difficult for the team management to leave him out.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, have enough quality in their bowling attack to test India. Their spin department remains one of their biggest strengths with several of their players having extensive T20 experience around the world.
Captain Shreyas Iyer will be hoping to start his home season off to a winning start as he also prepares to take his side to the Asian Games 2026 at Aichi-Nagoya.
India Predicted 11 vs Afghanistan for 1st T20
Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma (VC), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh