Vaibhav Sooryavanshi omitted from India XI for third straight T20I in New Delhi

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was left out of India’s playing XI for the third successive T20I against Afghanistan in New Delhi on September 17, 2026, a decision that disappointed supporters at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Fans who had come hoping to see the 15-year-old in the third match of the series watched as he warmed up with the team but did not make the final XI; when Sooryavanshi began hitting a few balls during the warm-up the crowd roared and some spectators moved close to the boundary for a better view, only to be left disappointed when he was not selected.

Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bowl in Delhi, making two changes to their side with Noor Ahmad and Gulbadin Naib omitted and Abdullah Amhadzai and Noor ul Rahman included in their XI.

India retained the opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson for the decider despite having already secured the series; the report noted one of the openers could have been rested for the final match. India made one change to their lineup with Yash Ravisingh Thakur coming in for Arshdeep Singh, who was given a rest.

The article pointed out that Abhishek has been playing consistently from the time of the T20 World Cup 2026 and played a gruelling season of the IPL as well, and suggested that a rest would have been reasonable given India’s upcoming trip to Japan for a T20I and then the Asian Games.

Ishan Kishan was also identified as a candidate for rest, with the report noting he did have an injury scare ahead of the first match and, like Abhishek, has been ever-present for India in T20Is since making his return.

India Playing XI : Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Ravisingh Thakur

Afghanistan Playing XI : Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Darwish Rasooli, Noor ul Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Fans hoping to see Sooryavanshi in action will now have to wait for India’s scheduled T20I against Japan or the Asian Games as the next possible opportunities for his selection.