India vs Afghanistan: Predicted Playing XIs for the third T20I

India vs Afghanistan 3rd T20I: India will face Afghanistan in a dead‑rubber third T20I on Thursday, September 17, at Arun Jaitley Stadium. With the series already secured, Team India is set to introduce Vaibhav Sooryavanshi into the side, as he has been a topic of discussion throughout the week.

Vaibhav is also part of the Asian Games contingent, which begins in a few days. The third T20I will therefore give him an excellent opportunity to gain match practice before departing for Japan. Skipper Shreyas Iyer had indicated he would like to give bench players more exposure ahead of the tournament in Japan, making the decision of who will make way for Vaibhav particularly intriguing.

India could be tempted to adjust their playing XI, especially with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson showing promising form. One option might be to manage Ishan Kishan’s workload by giving him a break and moving Sooryavanshi into the middle order at No. 3. With Varun Chakaravarthy sidelined by injury and his Asian Games participation now in doubt, Ravi Bishnoi is expected to continue leading the spin attack.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, are unlikely to make any last‑minute changes to their line‑up as the Asian Games draw nearer. Their main focus will be to address the batting deficiencies that have repeatedly hampered them during this series. A strong finish in the final game would not only allow them to end the series on a positive note but also provide a confidence boost heading into the Asian Games.

India vs Afghanistan: Predicted XI

India Predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson or Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan or 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

India vs Afghanistan: Squads

India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), 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 (wk), 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

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