New Delhi, September 17: India takes on Afghanistan in the 3rd and the final T20I of The Friendship Cup 2026 at the Arun Jaitley in New Delhi on Thursday. Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran won the toss and opted to bowl first while eyeing to avoid a clean sweep.
The fans were expecting that Shreyas Iyer would announce at the toss that Sanju Samson has been rested and young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi makes comeback to the playing XI.
However, nothing of that sort happened and Vaibhav missed the opportunity of comeback to the side and will have to wait longer for another chance.
Only change in the playing XI is that Yash Thakur replaces Arshdeep Singh.
India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson (Wicket-keeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah
After the second T20I, India captain Shreyas Iyer had hinted that the players who were yet to feature in the series could get an opportunity in the final game. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Washington Sundar and Yash Thakur were the three players waiting for their chance.
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Ibrahim Zadran (Captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wicket-keeper), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Noor ul Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai
Squads:
India: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Washington Sundar, Yash Thakur
Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Nangeyalia Kharoti, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Noor ul Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq
