India will begin its three-match T20I series against Afghanistan on September 13 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The hosts will look to start the series on a winning note, with several key players returning to the squad. Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah and Nitish Kumar Reddy are among those back in contention, making the team combination a major talking point ahead of the opening game.

One of the biggest selection dilemmas could be around Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. While it remains possible that only one of the two wicketkeeper-batters makes the playing XI, captain Shreyas Iyer could also opt to accommodate both players.

What could India’s playing XI look like?

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma are likely to open the innings for India, with Sanju Samson potentially slotting in at No. 3. Ishan Kishan could follow at No. 4, giving India an aggressive top order.

Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma may occupy the fifth and sixth spots respectively. With Shivam Dube struggling for consistency in recent outings, Nitish Kumar Reddy could be preferred as the pace-bowling all-rounder.

In the spin department, India could rely on Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy, while Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh are likely to lead the pace attack. This combination would give India a balanced XI with options across batting, spin and pace.

Ind vs Afg head-to-head record

India enjoys an overwhelming dominance over Afghanistan across all international cricket formats, remaining completely undefeated against the Afghan side.

T20 Internationals: India and Afghanistan have squared off 9 times in T20Is. India has claimed victory in 8 matches, with 1 game ending as a no-result due to rain during the 2023 Asian Games final.

One-Day Internationals (ODIs): The two nations have met 7 times in 50-over cricket. India leads with 6 wins, while 1 dramatic encounter ended in a tie during the 2018 Asia Cup.

Test Cricket: India has played 2 Test matches against Afghanistan, winning both encounters convincingly by an innings.