it will be interesting to see whether India stick with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi or give another chance to Sanju Samson, who was the Player of the Tournament at the 2026 T20 World Cup While Abhishek Sharma has already cemented his place as an opener. All three games will be held at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The focus will be on India’s opening combination. Sooryavanshi comes into the Afghanistan series on the back of a Player of the Series-winning performance against Zimbabwe. ( LIVE SCORECARD )
India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I LIVE Updates: Shreyas Iyer-led Indian cricket team takes on Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series that begins today.
it is only fair to mention that by the last match of the series, the 15-year-old had to make way for his senior partner’s return While Sooryavanshi was drafted in the playing eleven in England at the expense of Samson. This is the final international series for both teams before they begin their Asian Games 2026 campaigns.
On the selection dilemma involving the three opening options between Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer said having all of them in the squad was a luxury and whoever gets the opportunity would have the team’s backing. ” Whoever gets the opportunity, definitely it’s for the team’s benefit. And the players sitting outside, it’s important that I have an interaction with them along with the coach and give them that confidence. No matter what, you will get your opportunity when the day comes. It is not a straightforward choice although Samson-Abhishek Sharma is a more stable T20I pair which has done fairly well. One can only hope that Gambhir and skipper Shreyas Iyer will give equal chances to both Samson and Sooryavanshi if possible before finalising the XI for the Asian Games matches in Japan. India: 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: 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 Hello everyone, welcome to NDTV’s live blog for the India vs Afghanistan first T20I. Stay connected for live scores and updates.
India face a dilemma over whether to opt for ‘Boy Wonder’ Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s no-holds-barred aggression or stick with the experience and unmatched flair of Sanju Samson as they take on Afghanistan in the opening game today.
