India Opts to Bowl First Against Afghanistan in 2nd T20I

In the second T20I match against Afghanistan, India won the toss and decided to bowl first, hoping for early assistance from the pitch. Shreyas Iyer, the Indian captain, noted the team's previous victory and the inclusion of Ravi Bishnoi due to Varun Chakravarthy's injury. Afghanistan's captain Ibrahim Zadran expressed a desire to improve after their last match. The first T20I saw India chase down a target of 157 with ease, and both teams are set to compete fiercely in this encounter. Discover more about the playing XI and match dynamics.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 16, 2026, 00:04 IST

India's Strategy for the 2nd T20I

New Delhi [India], September 15: In the second T20I of the three-match series at Arun Jaitley Stadium, India won the toss and chose to bowl first against Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Following a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the first T20I on Sunday, India entered this match with confidence.

Shreyas Iyer, after winning the toss, explained that the decision to bowl first was based on the expectation that the pitch would provide early help to the bowlers. He acknowledged that India could have secured a more convincing win in the previous match and confirmed that Ravi Bishnoi was brought in to replace the injured Varun Chakravarthy.

“We are opting to bowl first. The wicket's behavior gives bowlers a slight edge. We could have won by a larger margin, and as a bowling unit, we should have taken more wickets in the middle overs. Varun is injured, so Ravi Bishnoi is in,” Iyer stated during the toss presentation.

On the other hand, Afghanistan's captain Ibrahim Zadran expressed that they would have preferred to bowl first as well, aiming to play more aggressively. He reflected on their slow start in the last match but noted that the team managed to recover and is looking to improve this time around.

“We would have chosen to bowl first too. Our goal is to play positively; we didn’t start well last time, but we regrouped in the middle. We aim to perform better tonight. We are sticking with the same playing eleven,” he mentioned.

In the first T20I, India opted to field first, restricting Afghanistan to 156/8, with Azmatullah Omarzai scoring a resilient 64*. Arshdeep Singh delivered an outstanding performance with the ball, taking 3 wickets for just 19 runs. During the chase, Abhishek Sharma (82 runs off 32 balls, including seven fours and seven sixes) and Ishan Kishan (42 runs off 33 balls, with five fours and a six) formed a thrilling 121-run partnership for the second wicket, completing the chase in just 13.4 overs.

India vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I Playing XI:

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.