India host Afghanistan in second T20I at Arun Jaitley on Tuesday evening

India and Afghanistan meet in the second T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday, with the match scheduled to start at 7:30 pm.

The weather forecast predicts a brief afternoon shower but improving conditions by evening, and the temperature in the city is 30 degree celsius, expected to fall as play progresses. India’s opening combination is under scrutiny after Sanju Samson managed 10 in the series opener, while Abhishek Sharma ended a nine-innings wait for a T20I fifty by scoring 82.

Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi remains on the fringes of the India side, having been left out of the playing XI so far; another failure from Samson would increase pressure to select him. Former India players Mohammad Kaif and Kris Srikkanth have questioned the handling of the teenager, who was made to wait during the Ireland and England tours, played three straight matches in the Zimbabwe series and has since been dropped back to the bench with Samson returning. The article reports that the BCCI are adopting a long-term plan for Sooryavanshi to follow the same success path as Sachin Tendulkar and added, "Maybe Japan and Asian Games?"

Varun Chakravarthy produced a tidy spell in the first T20I, conceding just 19 runs and taking one wicket, but news on Monday, September 14, confirmed the spinner is out of the series and may miss the Asian Games. India will need to reshuffle their side as a result; Ravi Bishnoi is mentioned as a likely candidate to come into the XI, potentially if Washington Sundar is selected to provide extra batting.

India began the three-match T20I series with a seven-wicket victory in Delhi, chasing 157 in 13.4 overs after restricting Afghanistan to 156. The win was achieved by a near full-strength Indian lineup playing together for the first time since the T20 World Cup, though the only noted concern was the fifth-bowling option shared between Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube.

Afghanistan had hoped that familiarity with the Arun Jaitley surface, their designated home ground for the series, would aid their challenge, but the batting-friendly pitch blunted their primary bowling weapons. Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmed and Mujeeb Ur Rahman struggled to extract much from the surface, while Abhishek scored 46 runs from 20 balls against spin. Naveen-ul-Haq’s return is cited as offering some hope, though the pacer has not played competitive cricket since December 2025.

India named Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh in their side; Afghanistan named Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (capt), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmed and Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Afghanistan will get another opportunity on Tuesday when the second T20I is played at the same venue.