India complete 3-0 T20I sweep of Afghanistan; one-off match vs Japan set for Sept 22

India completed a 3-0 T20I series sweep over Afghanistan in Delhi and will next play a one-off T20I against Japan on Tuesday, September 22.

India had secured an unassailable 2-0 lead before the third game, and in the final T20I posted 221 for 7. Opener Abhishek Sharma scored 108 off 34 balls, reaching his century in 30 deliveries, while Sanju Samson added a half-century as India won by 127 runs. Afghanistan were dismissed for 94, with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravi Bishnoi claiming three wickets apiece.

The one-off T20I versus Japan is scheduled for September 22 at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi, with a 7:00 PM IST start time. The fixture will be the first senior international meeting between India and Japan and forms part of the Suzuki Cup. Broadcasters for the match are the Sony Sports Network, with live streaming available on SonyLIV.

India will then turn attention to the men’s cricket tournament at the Asian Games 2026, which is scheduled to begin on September 28 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The Indian side enter that competition as the defending champions, having won the gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

The Indian ODI team has three matches planned in late September and early October, with games scheduled for Thiruvananthapuram on September 27, Guwahati on September 30 and Tira on October 3. These three ODIs precede a five-match T20I series against West Indies.

The five-match T20I series against West Indies starts on October 6 in Lucknow, with the remaining fixtures set for Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The schedule leaves little downtime before India’s subsequent tour of New Zealand.

India’s tour of New Zealand begins with a five-match T20I series from October 22 to November 1, with matches in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland and Hamilton. That tour also includes a five-match ODI series from November 4 to November 15 and a two-match Test series, with the first Test in Wellington from November 19 to 23 and the second Test in Christchurch from November 27 to December 1.

India’s next confirmed fixture remains the one-off T20I against Japan on September 22 at the Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi, starting at 7:00 PM IST.