Afghanistan vs India 2026 | 1st T20I | Preview and Predictions

The preparation for the Asian Games 2026 kicks off as Afghanistan host India in a three-match T20I series. India will be aiming to brush up all the chinks in their armour after having a couple of rough T20I series recently while Afghanistan will look to make the most against an in-transition Indian T20 side.

Ahead of the first T20I between Afghanistan and India, here’s our match preview and predictions.

Afghanistan vs India 2026 |  | AFG vs IND | 19:30 IST, September 13, 2026

After series losses in Ireland and England, the Indian T20I team will be looking to bounce back with not only some wins but also pick up some crucial form ahead of the Asian Games later this year. Shreyas Iyer will be leading the team and India have a near-full strength squad as the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy and Nitish Kumar Reddy returns. Hardik Pandya’s absence will be a talking point but India will  be looking for a strong start to the series with a strong squad.

The Indian management will have a call to take with their opening issue as they have Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson in the mix. Samson and Sooryavanshi will rotate in Ireland and England but neither got runs under their belt. Samson, apart from the World Cup, has struggled with form and given Ishan Kishan’s form and the fact that Kishan is also a wicket-keeper, India could be starting with the all-lefty combination of Sooryavanshi and Sharma. 

The middle order will consist of captain Shreyas Iyer along with the likes of Tilak Varma, Axar Patel and the all-rounders in Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar. In Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy, India will have a replacement for Hardik Pandya while Sundar and Patel will be the two main spin-bowling all-rounders. Varun Chakravarthy returns from injury as the main spinner with Jasprit Bumrah set to lead the attack along with Arshdeep Singh. The Indian squad looks well-balanced and if their top order fires together, there will be problems in the Afghanistani camp.

The hosts, Afghanistan, who are playing in Delhi but still hosting the series, will see Ibrahim Zadran lead a talented Afghanistan team filled with match-winners. Zadran has the explosive Rahmanullah Gurbaz as his opening partner while the middle order has experience in the likes of Darwish Rasooli, Gulbadin Naib and Mohammad Nabi. The spin attack is Afghanistan’s key with their talisman Rashid Khan leading the bowling attack along with spinners like Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad. Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi are the main seamers but it will be the spinners who will be key for the hosts.

The Delhi strip is known to be a bit slow and gripping and the game goes on but short boundaries and explosive top orders from both teams mean that we should be in for plenty of runs early on. Afghanistan have a stellar spin attack, which will try to make the most of the gripping conditions at the Feroz Shah Kotla but India’s batting unit gives them the edge. 

Fantasy XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (c), Abhishek Sharma (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Gulbadin Naib, Tilak Varma, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Azmatullah Omarzai

Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi

Winners Prediction: India