Ishan Kishan leaves practice after bowler hits him with a bouncer

Good news for the Indian team has emerged before the upcoming three-match T20 series between India and Afghanistan: all-rounder Washington Sundar has been declared fit to play. Meanwhile, the health status of star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah remains uncertain.

Washington Sundar will be able to participate in the three-match T20 series against Afghanistan. His return after injury is a positive development for India.

As for Jasprit Bumrah, he still needs to undergo a match simulation (training session). According to available information, he might complete this check on September 9th. Following this, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will make a final decision regarding his physical condition and participation in the series against Afghanistan.

The wait for updates also concerns Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy. These three players are included in the squad for the series against Afghanistan, but a final decision on their readiness has not yet been made.

Additionally, Hardik Pandya is part of the squad but currently cannot play cricket due to a leg muscle strain sustained earlier this year during the IPL.

The three-match T20 series between India and Afghanistan starts on September 13th. The subsequent matches are scheduled for September 15th and 17th. Before the start of the series, the Indian team's focus is on Bumrah's health report.

The Indian squad for the series against Afghanistan includes Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Verma (vice-captain), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah*, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana*. Asterisks (*) indicate players whose participation depends on their health status.

India vs Afghanistan Series Schedule:

• First T20 — September 13, 2026, Arun Jaitley Stadium (New Delhi)
• Second T20 — September 15, 2026, Arun Jaitley Stadium (New Delhi)
• Third T20 — September 17, 2026, Arun Jaitley Stadium (New Delhi)

In the final match of the Duleep Trophy 2026, players from the Eastern Zone demonstrated outstanding play. During the second day of the match, the bowlers of the Southern Zone had to exert significant effort to take wickets, but the team only received disappointment.

Choosing the right to bat first, the batsmen of the Eastern Zone impressed the bowlers of the Southern Zone. In this major confrontation, taking place at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the Eastern Zone managed to build an impressive first innings score of 708 runs.

The main hero who helped the team achieve this result was Ishan Kishan. He played an impressive innings, scoring 270 runs off 334 balls, which completely put the match in the hands of the Eastern Zone. A distinctive feature of Kishan's game was his ability to change his playing style depending on the game situation.

Ishan Kishan initially reached a double century in just 300 balls. However, due to deteriorating health, he was forced to leave the field after reaching the mark of 250 runs. Nevertheless, his determination did not waver, and he returned to the game in the last session, adding another 20 runs to the team's total.

Although Ishan Kishan could not achieve his first triple century, his performance made a strong impression. In the history of the Duleep Trophy, only two batsmen—Raman Lamba and Gagan Hodda—have managed to score a triple century. Kishan had a great opportunity to complete a 25-year wait, but he was withdrawn from the game at the score of 270 runs.

Besides Ishan Kishan, Kumar Kushagra also showed brilliant play, scoring an impressive century and helping the team exceed the 600-run mark. This is only the third time in the history of the Duleep Trophy final that any team has scored more than 700 runs. Previously, the Southern Zone achieved such feats in 1986, and the Northern Zone in 1987 and 1991.

Although the score of 708 runs is the highest score in the final, it is not the overall highest record. This record belongs to the Northern Zone, which scored 868 runs in the 1987 final against the Western Zone. Now, the Southern Zone faces the task of overcoming a huge point deficit. The Eastern Zone has completely taken control of the match, and the Southern Zone will need a real miracle to get out of the current crisis situation.

Despite the final score of the India versus Pakistan match in the Women's Asia Cup 2026, held on Saturday (September 5), being one-sided, the behavior of Pakistani captain Fatima Sana drew the most attention. Her manner of sending the player off after dismissing her raised many questions.

In the match played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Indian team scored a modest total of 56 runs. While chasing these runs, Shafali Verma showed determination by hitting a six on the very first ball. However, she managed to score only 12 runs and was forced to leave the field in the second over. Fatima Sana's ball hit her on the edge of the bat and immediately went into the bowler's hands.

After Fatima Sana dismissed Shafali Verma, declaring her out via caught and bowled, she accompanied her with a 'cold' farewell, which suddenly heated up the atmosphere on the field. Fatima pointed to the fielding team to signal to Shafali that it was time for her to return to the bench. Fortunately, the Indian batter did not respond to this gesture, otherwise, the situation could have escalated.

Subsequently, Fatima Sana sent Pratik Rawal to the pavilion with a personal score of 4 runs. She then dismissed Smriti Mandhana via LBW, dealing the third blow to India. By taking three wickets in the powerplay, Fatima achieved a significant feat: she became the fourth player in the squad to twice take three wickets in the powerplay in Women's T20 International.

Although the Pakistani captain dealt early blows to India by dismissing Shafali Verma and others, these attempts were not enough to secure a victory for Pakistan. After the three dismissals brought the score to 29 runs, the Indian captains Harmanpreet Kaur and Dipti Sharma took charge. Both batters played cautiously, preventing Pakistan from gaining further chances.

Dipti hit a four through mid-wicket off Nashra Sandhu's ball in the seventh over. Following this, Harmanpreet hit a six in the ninth over, securing India's victory by 7 runs. Prior to this, Indian spinners had restricted Pakistan's innings to just 55 runs. Shri Charni, Prema Rawat, Shafali Verma, and Dipti Sharma prevented the Pakistani batters from playing freely. Pakistan's score when three wickets fell was 27 runs, but a series of dismissals followed. Besides Shawal Julfikar (14 runs) and Munib Ali (13 runs), no Pakistani batter managed to reach ten runs.