India vs Afghanistan, 3rd T20I: India will face Afghanistan in Thursday’s dead rubber on September 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. With the series already secured, the hosts are expected to use the match to assess their squad depth ahead of the Asian Games.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is set to join India’s Asian Games contingent, and this T20I offers him a valuable opportunity to gain match practice before departing for Japan. Captain Shreyas Iyer has also suggested that players available as replacements could be given an opportunity ahead of the tournament. How Sooryavanshi fits into the XI—and which player he replaces—remains the key selection question.
India may make changes to their playing XI, particularly as Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have both shown encouraging form. One option is to rest Ishan Kishan, bring Sooryavanshi in at No. 3 and allow Samson to open alongside Abhishek. Varun Chakaravarthy remains unavailable through injury, while his Asian Games participation is also uncertain, leaving Ravi Bishnoi expected to lead India’s spin attack.
Afghanistan are less likely to alter their combination ahead of the Asian Games. Their main priority will be addressing the batting collapses that have repeatedly undermined them in the series. A strong finish to the final match could help them end the series on a positive note and build confidence for the tournament.
India vs Afghanistan 3rd T20I: Predicted XIs
India Predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh
Afghanistan Predicted XI: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq
Squads
India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (w), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy
Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor ul Rahman, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Nangeyalia Kharoti
