Afghanistan look for quick turnaround after lopsided series opener
Afghanistan have little time to regroup, having been outplayed by India in the T20I series opener in their adopted home
There were no comforts for Afghanistan in their adopted home of Delhi on Sunday. Seven months after their previous T20I, and in their first match since a disappointing group-stage exit at the 2026 T20 World Cup, Afghanistan were outplayed by India in almost every department. Now, with a quick turnaround before Tuesday’s second T20I, they have little time to regroup if they are to keep the series alive.
Afghanistan went in with their first-choice XI but were behind the game almost from the start. Asked to bat, they lost their top-five in seven overs and were staring at a significantly smaller total before Azmatullah Omarzai changed the tempo. His counter-attacking fifty, and an 83-run stand with Mohammad Nabi, gave the innings some much-needed momentum. The pair exploded against India’s allrounders, but 156 was never likely to be enough against this Indian batting line-up.
It certainly wasn't. India chased it down at nearly 11.5 runs an over, with Abhishek Sharma typically producing the sort of innings that can make a target disappear in a hurry. His 82 off 32 was both a statement and a reward for the faith the management had continued to show in him through a hot-and-cold run lately. That said, the musical chairs at the other end also continued, with India leaving out Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the Player of the Series from their previous assignment in Zimbabwe, and bringing back Sanju Samson.
The bigger difference, though, was with the ball. India had their frontline attack back together after long injury layoffs, and Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy immediately brought control with their miserly spells of 1/26 and 1/16 respectively. Arshdeep Singh, returning for the series, shut down Afghanistan’s late push with an impressive 3/19, removing the experienced Nabi and Rashid Khan in the process.
India will not have Chakaravarthy on Tuesday, however. His return lasted precisely those four overs before a fresh side strain forced him back to the BCCI Centre of Excellence, with the team taking a precautionary approach given that the Asian Games are looming. His absence leaves a hole in an attack already lacking a solid fifth and sixth bowling option without Hardik Pandya. Afghanistan will need to be far more clinical with the bat to make that a factor, though. The hosts can ill-afford losing cheap wickets against an Indian attack, even one now missing Chakaravarthy.
A stronger start with the bat, greater discipline against India’s top order and better execution under pressure could turn the screws on India. Even without Chakaravarthy, India will start as favourites, but Afghanistan only need one good performance to keep the interest in the series alive.
When: Tuesday, September 15 at 7:30 PM IST
Where: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
What to expect: The centre wicket will be in use for Tuesday's second T20I, making the boundary sizes more even. A passing shower is forecast for the afternoon, but it is unlikely to disrupt the evening game.
Team Watch
Afghanistan
Injuries & Availability: None reported. Afghanistan might be tempted to add an extra pace option to test the Indian batting with the new ball, potentially bringing in Naveen-ul-Haq for the must-win game.
Tactics & Matchups: India's lack of a proper fifth (and sixth bowling) option was a weakness Afghanistan exploited to the hilt to stage a late-innings comeback and post a respectable 150+ total on Sunday. They scored 59 runs off India’s fifth bowler quota (shared between Nitish Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, and Shivam Dube) in four overs (ER 14.75), including 10 boundary hits.
Probable XI: Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman/Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
India
Injuries & Availability: Varun Chakravarthy's fresh injury will force India to make at least one change to their winning combination, and Ravi Bishnoi could come in for a direct swap.
Tactics & Matchups: Abhishek Sharma could extend his dominance over Afghanistan's ace, Rashid Khan. In the series opener, Abhishek hit him for 19 runs off the seven balls he faced. No batter who has faced 30+ balls from Rashid in T20s has scored quicker off the legspinner than the left-hander's strike-rate of 234.88.
Probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Bishnoi
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