No Vaibhav Sooryavanshi again; Shreyas Iyer makes one big change for 3rd T20I vs Afghanistan
toi
newspoint|18-09-2026
NEW DELHI: Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran won the toss and opted to field against India in the third and final T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday.
India, who won the first two T20Is, are leading the three-match series 2-0 and will aim for a clean sweep.
Yash Thakur replaces Arshdeep SinghIndia captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed one change to the playing XI. Yash Thakur came into the team in place of Arshdeep Singh.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was not included in the playing XI.
Iyer said India would have preferred to bat first but welcomed the challenge of bowling first.
“We would have batted first. It also gives us a fun challenge. It's important that we stick to the moment and not complicate things. One change - Yash comes in for Arsh.”
Afghanistan aim to finish series with a winAfghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran said his team wanted to bowl first in the previous two matches as well but lost the toss on both occasions.
“We are going to bowl first. We wanted to bowl first in the last two games as well, but unfortunately, we lost the toss. If you look at the wicket, it's quite supportive for the bowlers, and I'm sure we will execute our plans well in the bowling department. We will try to put pressure on them and not allow them to put a big score on the board.”
Asked about Afghanistan's mindset after losing the series, Zadran said the team wants to improve and finish the series with a win.
“We have lost the series, but we thought about the areas we need to work on and what we haven't done well in the last two games. We will try to play better cricket and win a game against them to finish well. And yes, India are one of the best teams. They have, I would say, all the departments covered in T20 cricket, but we always try to make things easy for ourselves and not complicate them. We just try to give 100% and play better cricket against them.”
India playing XI
Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah.
Afghanistan playing XI
Ibrahim Zadran(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sediqullah Atal, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Darwish Rasooli, Noor ul Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Afghanistan playing XI
Ibrahim Zadran(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sediqullah Atal, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Darwish Rasooli, Noor ul Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
India, who won the first two T20Is, are leading the three-match series 2-0 and will aim for a clean sweep.
Yash Thakur replaces Arshdeep SinghIndia captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed one change to the playing XI. Yash Thakur came into the team in place of Arshdeep Singh.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was not included in the playing XI.
Iyer said India would have preferred to bat first but welcomed the challenge of bowling first.
“We would have batted first. It also gives us a fun challenge. It's important that we stick to the moment and not complicate things. One change - Yash comes in for Arsh.”
Afghanistan aim to finish series with a winAfghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran said his team wanted to bowl first in the previous two matches as well but lost the toss on both occasions.
“We are going to bowl first. We wanted to bowl first in the last two games as well, but unfortunately, we lost the toss. If you look at the wicket, it's quite supportive for the bowlers, and I'm sure we will execute our plans well in the bowling department. We will try to put pressure on them and not allow them to put a big score on the board.”
Asked about Afghanistan's mindset after losing the series, Zadran said the team wants to improve and finish the series with a win.
“We have lost the series, but we thought about the areas we need to work on and what we haven't done well in the last two games. We will try to play better cricket and win a game against them to finish well. And yes, India are one of the best teams. They have, I would say, all the departments covered in T20 cricket, but we always try to make things easy for ourselves and not complicate them. We just try to give 100% and play better cricket against them.”
India playing XI
Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah.
Afghanistan playing XI
Ibrahim Zadran(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sediqullah Atal, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Darwish Rasooli, Noor ul Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Afghanistan playing XI
Ibrahim Zadran(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sediqullah Atal, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Darwish Rasooli, Noor ul Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Related News
Latest Newsmore
BCCI announces India squad for West Indies series, Rohit Sharma retained; Auqib Nabi gets maiden call-up
17-Sep-2026 • Samira Vishwas
Sanju Samson: 5 Unforgettable Innings That Silenced His Critics, From T20 World Cup Heroics to IPL Brilliance
17-Sep-2026 • Sandy Verma
India vs Afghanistan 3rd T20I: 3 Changes Shreyas Iyer Must Consider, Including Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Debut
17-Sep-2026 • Sandy Verma
Ravindra Jadeja makes a crucial ODI comeback against WI
17-Sep-2026 • Samira Vishwas
‘They got absolutely pumped’: Allan Donald believes Australia are no longer the ‘menace’ world feared once
17-Sep-2026 • Samira Vishwas