India Opts to Bowl First Against Afghanistan in T20 Series Opener

New Delhi, September 13 (Daily Kiran) : India has won the toss and elected to bowl first against Afghanistan in the opening T20 match on Sunday at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Both teams are eager to secure a victory to take an early lead in the three-match series. Notably, 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi will not be part of the playing XI.

After winning the toss, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer stated, “We will bowl first. Whenever you come to Delhi, you know what the pitch is like; generally, it’s advantageous to bowl first here. We had several positives in Zimbabwe, and we aim to maintain that momentum. We know Bumrah is a match-winning player. Vaibhav is not playing, and Washington is also out along with two other players.”

Afghanistan’s captain, Ibrahim Zadran, expressed a similar sentiment, saying, “We would have opted to bowl first as well. Now, we will focus on batting and aim to set a good score. It’s great to host India, and we are looking forward to a competitive series. We have received tremendous support from our fans, and we hope they come out to cheer for us. Naveen is not playing, but we will consider him for future matches.”

Under Iyer’s captaincy, India faced a 0-2 defeat during their tour of Ireland and lost the T20 series 0-4 against England. However, the team found success in Zimbabwe, winning the T20 series 3-0. This match marks Iyer’s first game as captain on home soil, presenting him with a “golden chance” to secure a series victory. Under Sanju’s leadership, India has won 10 out of 11 T20 internationals after winning the toss.

India’s playing XI includes: Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakravarthy.

Afghanistan’s lineup features: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.