Indian captain Shreyas Iyer may rest a few players for the inconsequential third T20I match vs Afghanistan at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday.
Updated: September 17, 2026, 12:39 PM IST
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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (from left), Shreyas Iyer and Abhishek Sharma(Image: AI)
IND vs AFG 2026 3rd T20: Team India have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan heading into the third and final game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on ThursdayWith the T20 World Cup champions set to travel to Japan for the Asian Games 2026 later this week, they can afford to rest a few key players for the inconsequential tie.
Captain Shreyas Iyer could finally hand a much-awaited home debut to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the third T20I matchThe 15-year-old prodigy was dropped for the first two games of the T20I series, which India won comfortably by seven-wicket margins, as Sanju Samson returned to the opening position.
Samson answered his critics with a brilliant 57 off 22 balls in the second T20I match on TuesdayIt maybe hard to drop Samson, who was rested for the T20I series against Zimbabwe in July where Sooryavanshi had become the ‘Player of the Series’ and scored 81 in his last match.
But world No2 batter Abhishek Sharma can be rested after scoring 82 and 39 in the first two outings with the batAnother key player who might be rested is pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who made his international comeback against Afghanistan.
Bumrah completed his full tally of overs in the first two T20I matches and appears fit for bigger challenges ahead in the Asian Games 2026, where Shreyas Iyer’s side will look to defend their gold medalIf the Mumbai Indians pacer is rested then Yash Thakur could get a look-in after impressing in a couple of matches in Zimbabwe earlier this year.
Ibrahim Zadran’s Afghanistan, on the other hand, don’t have any injury concerns but may like to bring in either pacer Naveen-ul-Haq or Abdullah Ahmadzai to bolster their fast bowling resources as spinners have proven to be rather ineffective.
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From a young Sanju Samson asking Gautam Gambhir to watch him bat at his Delhi club to Shreyas Iyer taking over the captaincy baton in 2018, KahaniBaaz Vimal Kumar takes us through the journey and bond shared by the trio.… pic.twitter.com/y0owpcxP0R
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 15, 2026
India vs Afghanistan 2026 3rd T20 Predicted 11
India: Abhishek Sharma/Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah/Yash Thakur
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman/Naveen-ul-Haq/Abdullah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi
