New Delhi: Amidst the busy Future Tour program of the International Cricket Council and a series of bilateral series, the Indian cricket team is all set to take the field once again. The Indian selectors have taken an important step with the aim of sharpening the preparations for the upcoming matches and testing the combination of young and experienced players. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially announced a strong 15-member squad for the upcoming exciting three-match T20 series to be played between India and Afghanistan. All the matches of this series will be played at the historic Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, starting from Sunday, 13 September 2026. Many surprising decisions have been seen in this team selection, where on one hand wicketkeeper batsman Sanju Samson has regained his lost rhythm and place in the team, while on the other hand star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has once again been out of the team due to fitness problems. Sanju Samson's explosive comeback and Hardik Pandya's injury Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson, who was surprisingly left out of the team during the recently concluded Zimbabwe tour, has once again made a spectacular comeback in the national T20 team, living up to the trust of the selectors. The arrival of Sanju, known for his explosive batting at domestic and IPL level, has strengthened both the team's middle order and wicketkeeping options. However, with this selection a bad news has also emerged for the Indian camp. Fast bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya has once again been out of the team due to injury. According to official sources, Pandya has suffered a fresh injury, due to which he has been ruled out of this entire series. Hardik's frequent injuries have become a matter of concern for the Indian team management and fans, because the team is in dire need of his balance keeping in mind the upcoming big tournaments. Playing of legends like Bumrah, Sundar and Reddy is dependent on fitness. Some names have also been included in this 15-member team selected against Afghanistan, whose playing will completely depend on their medical fitness. Jasprit Bumrah, considered the backbone of the fast bowling attack of the Indian team, young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, spin all-rounder Washington Sundar and emerging fast bowler Harshit Rana have been given a place in the team, but their entry in the playing XI will be decided only after passing the fitness test. The team management is in no mood to take any kind of unnecessary risk regarding these key players. The main reason behind this is that in the coming days, a big campaign of Asian Games and a tough overseas tour against New Zealand is knocking at the door. In such a situation, the workload management and health of these players are being given top priority. Mysterious spinner Varun Chakraborty returns to the national team Another major change in the Indian bowling department has been seen in the form of the return of mystery spinner Varun Chakraborty. Varun Chakravarthy, who has been performing brilliantly for quite some time, was strategically rested in the last few T20 series played against Ireland, England and Zimbabwe. Now he has returned to the national party completely refreshed. There is a strong possibility of this Chennai-born talented spinner being directly included in the playing eleven. The main reason for this is that Ravi Bishnoi has been selected in the team, but in the previous matches against Zimbabwe, his bowling did not show the edge and ability to take wickets that the team was expecting. In such a situation, Varun Chakraborty's experience can prove to be a headache for Afghanistan's batsmen in the middle overs. Tough competition in batting order: Who will bat where? After the return of Sanju Samson, a cut-throat competition has started among the players to get a place in the batting order of the Indian team. The responsibility of starting the innings will be on the shoulders of explosive opener Abhishek Sharma and young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who will want to take full advantage of the powerplay with their fast innings. At the same time, there is full hope of wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan landing the important position of number three. However, all these top-order batsmen will need to be extremely cautious, as the presence of Sanju Samson in the team means that any poor performance can immediately be called into question. Talking about the middle order, captain Shreyas Iyer will take charge of the batting at number four, while newly appointed vice-captain Tilak Verma will come to the crease at number five. In the previous series against Ireland and England, Tilak Verma's bat did not perform as expected, which has definitely raised some concerns about his performance. This series against Afghanistan will prove to be a big test for his future. If his performance remains disappointing this time too, then Sanju Samson or Nitish Kumar Reddy sitting on the bench can give him a tough challenge. After this, all-rounders Shivam Dubey and Axar Patel will handle the innings in the role of finishers, batting at sixth and seventh positions respectively. Considering the nature of the pitch and the conditions of the field, Washington Sundar's selection in the final eleven will be finalized. Official Indian team selected for the T20 series against Afghanistan The 15-member balanced and youth-experienced mixed squad announced by the BCCI includes the following players: Shreyas Iyer (captain) Tilak Verma (vice-captain) Abhishek Sharma Vaibhav Suryavanshi Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper) Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper) Shivam Dubey Nitish Kumar Reddy (subject to fitness) Akshar Patel Washington Sundar (subject to fitness) Varun Chakravarthy Ravi Bishnoi Jasprit Bumrah (depending on fitness) Arshdeep Singh Harshit Rana (depending on fitness)
