India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I match is set to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi. During the toss, Shreyas Iyer broke his silence on Jasprit Bumrah’s availability during the series and on captaining the pacer for the first time. Bumrah returns to the white-ball series after missing out on the last two series for India.
Afghanistan will play a three-match T20I series, and they are hosting the series for the first time against the Men in Blue. All three matches are set to be played at the same venue, with the second and third T20Is to be played on 15th and 17th September before India travels to Japan for the Asian Games 2026.
I think it's a luxury to have: Shreyas Iyer on his having Jasprit Bumrah in the side
During the toss, Shreyas Iyer was asked about having Jasprit Bumrah available in the squad as the pacer returns to the side after missing out on the England third ODI and the full two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Iyer replied that it is a luxury to have Jasprit Bumrah in the side as he has been a match-winner for the Men in Blue over the years.
Shreyas said during the toss (as quoted by Cricbuzz), “Yes, certainly. I think it's a luxury to have him in the squad because he's immensely experienced and he carries a lot of great attitude when it comes to winning matches. So, we know he's a match winner and we know what he's got to offer.”
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dropped from 1st T20I
Coming to the match, Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to field first, as the new team India captain has won 10 tosses in 11 matches he has been the captain of the side. This is an excellent record to have. He would want to start the series with a win, as recent results have not been in his favour, with him losing two and winning just one T20I series.
Shreyas mentioned that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was the Player of the Series against Zimbabwe after he made 152 runs in the series, has been dropped, with India going back to their original opening combination in the form of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. Washington Sundar is also out of the team as they have gone with two spinners.
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