India have already secured the T20I series against Afghanistan after two seven-wicket victories, but the third match in Delhi offers an opportunity to test their bench strength. The biggest selection question is whether 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will make his senior India appearance on home soil.
Captain Shreyas Iyer indicated after the second T20I that the team management could rotate the squad to give players on the sidelines valuable match practice. Sooryavanshi, who was Player of the Series during India’s Zimbabwe tour, has not featured in the Afghanistan series following Sanju Samson’s return.
Samson strengthened his case with a 57 off 22 balls in the second match, while Abhishek Sharma has also been part of India’s opening combination. Including Sooryavanshi could therefore require changes to the batting order.
Washington Sundar and Yash Thakur are among the other players who could receive opportunities. India will also be without Varun Chakravarthy, who has been ruled out with a side strain. Afghanistan, meanwhile, will look for a stronger performance after two comprehensive defeats. Rashid Khan is also four wickets away from reaching 200 T20I wickets.
The match will be played at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on September 17 from 7:30 pm IST. The pitch is expected to support attacking batting, while spinners could remain effective with variations in pace.
Conversation
Be kind and stay on topic. Comments are moderated; abuse, spam and personal attacks are removed. Report a problem