Ajinkya Rahane named India's top-3 lineup for the series against Afghanistan, revealing his plan

The T20I series between India and Afghanistan starts on September 13. An unusual situation will occur during this three-match tournament: the Indian team will use the guest dressing room for all three matches held at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

The reason for this arrangement is not related to the field conditions but to the official status of the series organizer. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is acting as the official host of this series. Consequently, administratively, Afghanistan is considered the home team, and India is the visiting team.

The home dressing room at Arun Jaitley Stadium belongs to former Indian player Raman Lambe. Throughout all three encounters, the Afghanistan team will use this specific dressing room. Meanwhile, the Indian team will have access to the guest dressing room named after Prakash Bhandari. This agreement will remain unchanged throughout the series, marking the first time in cricket history that the Indian squad will play on its own soil using the opposing team's dressing room.

Afghanistan frequently holds its international matches on foreign territory. This is due to infrastructure and security issues present in the country for hosting international fixtures. Therefore, the Afghanistan Cricket Board is compelled to utilize foreign or neutral venues.

Previously, Afghanistan has hosted its home matches at venues such as Noida, Dehradun, and Lucknow in India. However, in this instance, the Afghanistan Cricket Board has received the status of official organizer of a bilateral series in India against India for the first time.

Typically, the team playing in a country receives the home dressing room. But because the administrative management of the series is in the hands of Afghanistan, the system has been inverted. This does not mean that the conditions for India will change, but this alteration will be noticeable inside the stadium.

The Indian squad includes: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryawanshi, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Verma (vice-captain), Shivam Dubey, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy, Akshaya Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Yashas Thakur.

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)

Following the victory in the Test series against Sri Lanka, the Indian team's next target is the match against Afghanistan. The three-match T20 series between India and Afghanistan is scheduled for September 13th.

Cricket fans have received good news ahead of this series. Hardik Pandya, a powerful all-rounder for the Indian team, is ready to return to the field after a long break of about five months. There is information that he may be included in the squad for the upcoming three-match T20 series against Afghanistan.

In addition to Hardik Pandya, the young fast bowler and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is also fully ready for selection. Both athletes have been training at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bangalore for a long time and are now considered 100% fit to play in matches.

Besides Hardik and Nitish, spin all-rounder Washington Sundar is also on the verge of returning. Sundar has recently been actively working on his physical fitness, and his training process has gradually increased. He visited Chennai over the weekend but will return to Bangalore this week to undergo a final fitness test before a possible inclusion in the team. The management wishes for Washington Sundar to return to the squad smoothly, through participation in short formats.

Yorker king Jasprit Bumrah has also been away from the field for a long time. During the recent Test series against Sri Lanka, Bumrah was rested. The management team does not wish to rush or take risks regarding Bumrah. This is because India is scheduled to play very important Test series against New Zealand and Australia later this year. Therefore, it is possible that Bumrah might not participate in the T20 series against Afghanistan to reduce the load on his body.

Even if Bumrah does not participate in the matches against Afghanistan, according to reports, he may be ready for the Asian Games, which will take place in Japan shortly after. If there are no new issues with his rehabilitation, he will certainly be part of the Indian team at the Asian Games.