3rd T20I: India eye clean sweep against Afghanistan
What's the story
The finale of the three-match T20I series between India and Afghanistan will be played on September 17. The match, starting 7:30pm IST, will be held at the same venue, the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. India lead the series 2-0 after winning by seven wickets in both games. The Men in Blue chased down 157 and 160, respectively.
Match dynamics
How the 2nd ODI panned out
The 2nd T20I was a repeat of the series opener. Asked to bat, Afghanistan suffered an early blow, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz bagging his second successive duck.
Though Ibrahim Zadran scored a fine 37, he lost partners. A vital 48-run stand between Mohammad Nabi (20) and Rashid Khan (28) took Afghanistan to 159/8.
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Arshdeep Singh shared five wickets.
The chase was straightforward, with Sanju Samson (57), Abhishek Sharma (39), and Ishan Kishan (38*) shining.
Details
Pitch report, conditions, and streaming details
Expect another run-fest if India bat first in the 3rd T20I. The pitch is likely to be batting-friendly, with shorter boundaries further helping the plight.
It will be a pleasant evening in Delhi, with thunderstorms expected. There will be 75% cloud cover.
The match will be telecast live on the Sony Sports Network and streamed online on the FanCode app and website (7:30pm IST).
India lineup
Will Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play?
India fielded the opening pair of Samson and Abhishek in the first two T20Is. They didn't pick the young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the Player of the Series in Zimbabwe.
Samson returned to the setup after being rested in the Zimbabwe T20Is.
Meanwhile, India are expected to continue with Ravi Bishnoi, the replacement for the injured Varun Chakravarthy.
Likely XI: Samson/Sooryavanshi, Abhishek, Ishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah.
Afghanistan lineup
What about Afghanistan's lineup?
For Afghanistan, Naveen-ul-Haq continued to warm the bench despite being fit. He was earlier named in the squad after returning from a two-year injury layoff.
The speedster could replace Fazalhaq Farooqi, who has been wicketless in the series so far.
Likely XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Naveen-ul-Haq.
Record
Afghanistan's wait continues!
Afghanistan's wait continues as they are yet to beat India in an international game, as per Cricinfo.
In T20Is, India have won each of their nine concluded affairs against the Afghan side.
One of their victories came in an historic double Super Over in 2024. Notably, India whitewashed Afghanistan 3-0 in an ODI series earlier this year.
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