Last Updated on 11 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey
Who bats in the top three? That is the question again for India as they prepare for the first T20I against Afghanistan at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Sanju Samson is back in the squad after he was left out for the Zimbabwe tour. Teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi won player of the series in Harare thanks to 151 runs at a strike rate of 196.10, including two fifties.
India possible playing XI for 1st T20I against Afghanistan 2026: Sanju Samson or Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?
1. Abhishek Sharma, 2. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 3. Ishan Kishan (wk), 4. Shreyas Iyer (c), 5. Tilak Varma, 6. Shivam Dube, 7. Axar Patel, 8. Nitish Kumar Reddy, 9. Jasprit Bumrah, 10. Arshdeep Singh, 11. Varun Chakravarthy
According to reports, Sooryavanshi is tipped to open alongside Abhishek Sharma which means Samson is likely to miss out again. Ishan Kishan is enjoying a prolific year in T20s, so leaving him out of the XI would be a big call.
On the bowling front, Jasprit Bumrah returns after a period of time out with a knee complaint. He is likely to join Arshdeep Singh and the returning Varun Chakravarthy as the specialist bowlers.
India also have decisions to make on which all-rounders they select in the XI. They have a host of options, but may settle on Nitish Kumar Reddy ahead of Washington Sundar given Afghanistan have a host of right-handers in their lineup. Axar Patel and Shivam Dube could be preferred for the other two spots.
Sunday’s T20I will be India’s first since the 3-0 series win over Zimbabwe in late July. That victory was welcome relief to Shreyas Iyer and the team management after six consecutive losses across the Ireland and England tours.
For Afghanistan, it will be their first T20I since the World Cup earlier this year. Ibrahim Zadran is the new captain, taking over from Rashid Khan.
