Abhishek, Sanju or Suryavanshi: Who Will Open for India Against Afghanistan?

In cricket history, Afghanistan is hosting a bilateral T20I series against India in Delhi. The Indian Cricket Team will be locking horns with the Afghanistan Cricket Team in a three-match T20I series at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, from September 13-17, 2026. This series will be a preparatory series ahead of the Asian Games 2026, where both countries will be part of it.

The BCCI has announced the squad for this series, where several names can be seen again after a while, such as Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah, and Harshit Rana. The squad has made fans curious about India opening pair vs Afghanistan after Sanju is included in the squad after missing the Zimbabwe Tour. Let's have a look at who will be India T20 openers vs Afghanistan, along with the IND vs AFG probable playing XI.

Who Will Be India T20 Openers vs Afghanistan?

Considering India's recent opening pair during the Tour of Ireland, England and Zimbabwe, there are a lot of questions about India opening pair vs Afghanistan, as all three- Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Sanju Samson are part of the squad. From juggling the opening position between Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Suryavanshi during the England tour, followed by Sanju not being part of the next series against Zimbabwe, there's a lot going on in the Indian dressing room.

However, it is likely that during the 3-match T20I series against Afghanistan, the management will be looking forward to backing Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as Indian openers, who were the same openers of the Indian World Cup-winning team. Therefore, it is possible that Vaibhav Suryavanshi will have to warm the bench for a while and earn that spot again.

IND vs AFG Probable Playing XI

The IND vs AFG T20I series will see some of the best T20 batsmen in the world taking part and making the series more thrilling to watch. Both teams are expected to play their best Playing 11 as a good preparation for the Asian Games 2026. Here is the IND vs AFG Probable Playing XI: