India Opts to Bowl First in Second T20I Against Afghanistan

In the second T20I match against Afghanistan, India won the toss and decided to bowl first, hoping for early advantages from the pitch. Captain Shreyas Iyer expressed confidence in their bowling unit, while Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran aimed for a more positive performance after a slow start in the previous match. The first T20I saw India secure a comfortable victory, and both teams are set to field unchanged lineups for this encounter. Read on for detailed insights and player lineups.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 15, 2026, 20:11 IST

Match Overview

In the second T20I of the three-match series held at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, India won the toss and chose to bowl first against Afghanistan. This match follows India's convincing seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the first T20I on Sunday.

Captains' Insights

After the toss, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer explained the decision to bowl first, citing the potential for early assistance from the pitch for bowlers. He acknowledged that India could have secured a larger victory margin in the previous match and confirmed that Ravi Bishnoi would replace the injured Varun Chakravarthy. Iyer stated, "We are going to bowl first. The wicket offers some advantages to bowlers. We could have won by a bigger margin, and as a bowling unit, we should have taken more wickets in the middle. Varun is injured, and Ravi Bishnoi comes in."

Afghanistan's captain Ibrahim Zadran expressed a similar preference for bowling first and emphasized their goal of playing positively. He noted their slow start in the last game but mentioned that the team managed to recover well. Zadran remarked, "We would have bowled first as well. We want to play positive cricket; we didn't start well last time, but we improved in the middle. We aim to perform better tonight. Our playing eleven remains unchanged."

Recap of the First T20I

In the first T20I, India opted to field first, allowing Afghanistan to score 156 runs for the loss of 8 wickets, with Azmatullah Omarzai contributing a notable 64 not out. Arshdeep Singh was exceptional with the ball, taking 3 wickets for just 19 runs. During India's chase, Abhishek Sharma scored a remarkable 82 runs off 32 balls, while Ishan Kishan added 42 runs off 33 balls, leading to a swift 121-run partnership for the second wicket. India completed the chase in just 13.4 overs.

Playing XI for the 2nd T20I

India: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Bishnoi.

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran(c), Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.