Afghanistan vs India 2026 | 3rd T20I | Preview and Predictions
After securing the series win in the second game, Shreyas Iyer confirmed his first series win at home in India as captain and will be looking to make it a whitewash by winning the third and final game in the series. Afghanistan, meanwhile, will want to avoid a drubbing and look to end the series on a high.
For the third T20I between Afghanistan and India, here we present our preview and predictions.
AFG v IND 2026 | 3rd T20I | 19:30 IST, September 17, 2026
Shreyas Iyer decided to chase targets in both games and give his bowlers an early crack at the Afghan batters. And it paid dividends: Jasprit Bumrah was at his consistent best, with the spin duo of Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi turning on the screws at the start, keeping it tight and chipping in with wickets to bring out the middle order inside the first ten overs.
The biggest positive with the ball for India in the second game was Nitish Kumar Reddy, who stepped up with the ball. Not only was Reddy among the wickets, but his tight lines also gave captain Iyer some breathing space, given the Indian camp’s recent struggles with that fifth bowling slot in Hardik Pandya’s absence. With Varun Chakravarthy ruled out of the series a day before the second game, Bishnoi got his chance and was impressive. Should the management choose to make alterations to the starting XI again, they could consider Washington Sundar, another spin option in the squad.
Chasing another average target, Sanju Samson finally got some runs under his belt, getting his first 30+ score since the T20 World Cup final back in March. Abhishek Sharma was at his destructive best as well and, alongside Samson, put up an 88-run opening stand in 6.2 overs. Chasing 160, the openers more or less sealed the win for India themselves, while Ishan Kishan continued his strong run of form and Tilak Varma also got runs and time in the middle.
India’s batting hasn’t been properly tested in the series yet, and while the management won’t be too bothered with that, they also wouldn’t mind if the middle- and lower-order batters got to spend some time out in the middle going into the Asian Games.
As for this series’ hosts, Afghanistan, their struggles with the bat continued, as their batters continued to fail to convert their starts.
Experienced opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has had two ducks and will hope to find some runs to see out the series. The middle order, comprising Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, and Sediqullah Atal, hasn’t done much either, with the batters’ shot selection being something the Afghanistan camp will need to look at. It’s contributions from the lower-order batters Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, and Rashid Khan that have seen the team get to respectable totals. The management will hope the batters step up and improve their shot selection in the final game.
With not much on the board to defend, and against an explosive and frightening Indian batting unit, the Afghanistan bowlers have had a rough time in the middle, with the short boundaries of the Kotla also not helping. While their spinners have been handy, Afghanistan will need their new-ball operators to provide them with early breakthroughs.
The Delhi wicket has shown that the odd ball stops and holds up, helping the medium pacers and spinners, but it also means that, if the bowlers miss their lengths, there isn’t much in the pitch to help them.
The Indian bowlers have had the better of the Afghan batters, and we expect more of the same in the third and final game of the series, which we back Shreyas Iyer and Co to win comfortably for a clean sweep.
Fantasy XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma (vc), Ishan Kishan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Gulbadin Naib, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammad Nabi, Axar Patel, Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah (c), Azmatullah Omarzai
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Winners Prediction: India
