India rest options take centre stage as third T20I with Afghanistan heads to Delhi

India visit Delhi for the third T20I against Afghanistan on Thursday, September 17, with the hosts having already sealed the series 2-0 after back-to-back seven-wicket wins; attention has shifted to squad rotation and whether Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will make his home debut.

India wrapped up the series in two matches but captain Shreyas Iyer indicated the management may use the final game to give playing time to those who have been on the sidelines, saying: “Definitely, we want all of them to get used to the wicket and get some practice, so it will be a good opportunity to give a chance to the guys sitting out,” Iyer said. That comment focused attention on 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was India’s Player of the Series in Zimbabwe after appearing in all three T20Is there, but has remained out of the XI following Sanju Samson’s return.

Sanju Samson’s explosive 57 off 22 balls in the second T20I and Abhishek Sharma’s place in India’s preferred opening combination have reduced the straightforward options for inserting Sooryavanshi without reshuffling the top order. The presence of two established openers means any move to include Sooryavanshi would not be a like-for-like change and would force selection choices elsewhere in the batting lineup.

There are several alternatives India could consider for the final game: Washington Sundar has yet to feature in the series, Yash Thakur could be handed another opportunity, and Ravi Bishnoi or Washington Sundar remain options in the spin department. India will be without Varun Chakravarthy after his side strain ruled him out of the third T20I as well as the Asian Games, and the management has discussed the possibility of deploying four specialist bowlers and asking the batters to cover a reduced batting depth.

Afghanistan enter Delhi knowing the series is already lost but with selection and performance questions of their own; Ibrahim Zadran has endured a difficult beginning to his captaincy against India and Rahmanullah Gurbaz is expected to be asked for more at the top. Azmatullah Omarzai has been among Afghanistan’s more assured batters and could be promoted up the order, while the bowling unit may be adjusted to add a pace option if Naveen-ul-Haq is fit and if Fazalhaq Farooqi continues to be used differently with the new ball. Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan is four wickets shy of 200 T20I wickets.

Conditions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium are expected to favour batters, with compact boundaries likely to reward clean hitting and spinners able to influence the contest if they vary pace. There is some weather activity over north-western India, though the risk of rain in Delhi is described as moderate and, barring an unexpected change, conditions should permit a full match. India go into the fixture on the back of five consecutive completed T20I wins, while Afghanistan have two wins and three defeats in their last five completed matches.

India Predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson/Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan/Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma (vc), Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi/Yash Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.

Afghanistan Predicted XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman/Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi/Abdollah Ahmadzai.

The third T20I will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday, September 17; with India already 2-0 up, the match will serve as a chance to trial bench options such as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Washington Sundar and Yash Thakur while Rashid Khan seeks the four wickets needed to reach 200 T20I wickets, meaning the final game retains notable selection and milestone implications.