Three uncapped Indians in contention for IND vs AFG T20I series
India could hand opportunities to three uncapped players — Badoni, Prabhsimran Singh and Harsh Dubey — during the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan, which is scheduled to begin on September 13 in Delhi with subsequent matches on September 15 and 17.
India are described as being in a transition phase across all formats after an upsetting assignment against Ireland and England, and selectors are monitoring workload management and the fitness of established stars, which opens a window to assess domestic performers for the Afghanistan T20Is.
Badoni, a Delhi-born right-handed batter, has built a reputation across all three formats and is seen as a dependable middle-order option who can accelerate late in an innings; he has featured for Lucknow Super Giants and India A, has impressed selectors, was included in India’s 2026 ODI setup recently but is yet to make his debut, and offers part-time off-spin.
Prabhsimran Singh is under consideration particularly if India move away from Sanju Samson as wicket-keeper after Samson’s performances following his heroics during the T20 World Cup in 2026; Prabhsimran has been a consistent domestic performer, has stood out in recent IPL seasons, fits India’s aggressive top-order approach, has featured for India A, and was named in the India squad for the Zimbabwe T20Is but did not play.
Harsh Dubey has emerged as a notable contender among uncapped players; the left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder earned a maiden India call-up earlier in 2026 and made his India debut in the ODI series against Afghanistan earlier this year, with the ability to contribute with both ball and lower-order batting at a time when the all-rounder pool is under scrutiny.
Selectors may also target reinforcements in the all-round department given Hardik Pandya’s availability for the Afghanistan series is now uncertain and Axar Patel’s T20I form has dipped, prompting India to consider additions to their all-rounder options.
India may see adjustments between the Afghanistan T20I series and the Asian Games, and the Indian squad for the Asian Games has been announced, creating potential selection interactions between the two commitments.
