New Delhi, September 2026 : India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first against Afghanistan in the opening T20I of the three-match series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy and spinner Varun Chakaravarthy returning to the playing XI.
The match marks a significant occasion for Afghanistan, who are designated as the hosts for the series being played in India. It is the first time Afghanistan are hosting India in an away T20I series. India have enjoyed a dominant record against Afghanistan in the shortest format, winning eight of their nine previous encounters.
Ahead of the toss, a special coin was unveiled, while Iyer presented a commemorative jersey to Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran.
After winning the toss, Iyer confirmed that young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had missed out on selection. Sanju Samson returned to the opening slot alongside Abhishek Sharma, while Ishan Kishan continued at No. 3.
India also received a major boost with the return of Bumrah, Reddy and Chakaravarthy, all of whom had missed considerable cricketing action in recent months due to injuries. Bumrah had been recovering from a knee issue, Reddy from a quadriceps injury and Chakaravarthy from a hamstring problem.
Explaining his decision to bowl first, Iyer said familiarity with the Delhi conditions played a key role.
“When you have played in Delhi, you do know what the pitch has got to offer and we’ve played quite a bit of matches over here. So based on that and looking at the conditions, that’s really both,” he said.
Reflecting on his captaincy experience, Iyer described his T20I leadership journey as a “rollercoaster ride” but said the team had taken plenty of positives from its previous series against Zimbabwe.
“There were a lot of positives and the boys were optimistic in their approach. So that’s the attitude we got to carry in this series as well,” Iyer said.
He also welcomed Bumrah’s return, calling it a major advantage for the team.
“It’s a luxury to have him in the squad because he’s immensely experienced and he carries a lot of great attitude when it comes to winning matches,” Iyer said, adding that Bumrah was a proven match-winner.
For Afghanistan, Zadran was taking charge of the T20I side for the first time. He said the team had initially decided to bowl first but would now focus on putting up a competitive total after losing the toss.
Zadran also confirmed that fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq was not match-fit for the opening game. His availability for the second and third T20Is will be assessed later.
“It’s a great feeling for us. It is a pleasure to host India, here in India for the first time. We are trying to enjoy ourselves, trying to have a good series against them,” Zadran said.
He also appealed to fans to support both teams during the series.
Playing XIs
Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
India: Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy.
