Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in contention for India XI for second T20I against Afghanistan
India and Afghanistan meet in the second T20I at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on September 15, with the match scheduled to start at 7:30 PM IST; selection of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is being debated ahead of the game.
India sealed an easy victory in the first match of the series, powered by collective bowling and a dominant batting display. Arshdeep Singh returned figures of 3/19 in his four overs, Jasprit Bumrah finished with 1/26 and Varun Chakravarthy took 1/16. Abhishek Sharma led the chase with a 22-ball half-century and finished 82 off 32 balls, with seven sixes and seven fours and a strike rate of 256.25, while Ishan Kishan contributed 42 off 33 balls.
Sanju Samson, selected ahead of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the first T20I, was dismissed for 10 off 8 balls in that game, a return that has prompted calls for Sooryavanshi’s inclusion. The article notes Sanju was Player of the Tournament during the T20 World Cup 2026 and played a major role in India winning the title, but his form in T20Is has dipped since then, with scores of 5, 0, 1, 27 and 10 across five matches.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was handed his debut cap by India after the World Cup period and has featured in six T20Is, accumulating 193 runs at a strike rate of 189.21; he has scored two half-centuries and won the Player of the Series award in Zimbabwe. Despite those credentials, India opted for Sanju in the first T20I against Afghanistan, and Sanju’s low score in that match has fuelled speculation about a change for the second game.
There has been no official confirmation of a change to the XI, though fans are expecting Sooryavanshi to be included and the Indian management has dropped a hint that they want to give Sanju more chances. Captain Shreyas Iyer also indicated that "the 15-year-old has to wait for his chance." If Sanju fails to produce in the second game, the article says that will increase the chances of him being dropped from the third game.
The toss will take place at 7 PM IST on Tuesday, when the playing XIs will be decided ahead of the second T20I at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
