New Delhi: All eyes will be on whether experienced opener and wicketkeeper Sanju Samson gets an opportunity or teenage star Vaibhav Suryavanshi gets the nod when India take on Afghanistan in the first match of their three-match T20 series here today, starting at 7.30 pm. There was considerable discussion in Indian cricket circles on Saturday that if wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan is ruled out because of a back injury, both Samson and Suryavanshi could get a chance to play. In short, the big question is who will open alongside Abhishek Sharma.
Recently, Suryavanshi was handed his T20I debut in England at Samson’s expense. The youngster had a completely unsuccessful tour, scoring 14, 13 and 15 runs in his three matches. However, he bounced back on the subsequent Zimbabwe tour, scoring 50, 20 and 81 in three T20Is to help India complete a 3-0 series win. He was also named Player of the Series.
Suryavanshi Returns to White-Ball Cricket
Vaibhav has now switched to white-ball cricket after playing three consecutive matches in the Duleep Trophy, which is played with the red ball. During practice, Samson appeared to be batting better than the youngster.
Shreyas Iyer to Lead India
This same Indian T20 squad, under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, will travel to Japan this month to compete in the Asian Games.
Afghanistan have a world-class spin attack featuring Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Their pace attack includes Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq, while all-rounders Gulbadin Naib and Azmatullah Omarzai also add to their bowling options.
At the Delhi ground on Saturday, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer and Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran posed with the trophy.
Squads of Both Teams
India: Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Tilak Varma (Vice-Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (Wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakravarthy.
Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran (Captain), Darwish Rasooli, Noor-ul-Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wicketkeeper), Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Nangeyalia Kharote, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad.