Afghanistan win toss, opt to field against India in third T20I
New Delhi, September 17
Afghanistan won the toss and opted to field against Team India in the third and final T20I of the series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday.
India, led by Shreyas Iyer, have already sealed the three-match series with an unassailable 2-0 lead after winning the first two encounters.
India will look for a clean sweep while Afghanistan will look to end the series with a win.
India registered a seven-wicket victory in the opening T20I, with Abhishek Sharma smashing 82 off 32 balls. In the second match, Sanju Samson's 57 off 22 balls helped India chase the target comfortably and take an unassailable lead.
Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran said there could be some assistance for the bowlers at the start. Zadran also confirmed that Gulbadin Naib and Noor Ahmad are not playing in the third T20I.
"We are going to bowl first. We lost the toss in the last two matches. There will be some support for the bowlers at the start. We have lost the series but we have thought about the areas where we haven't done well. India are one of the best teams. We want to keep things easier for us. We have two changes," Ibrahim said during the toss.
India skipper Shreyas Iyer said his side would have preferred to bat first but termed the decision to bowl first as a "fun challenge." "We would have batted first. It also gives us a fun challenge. It's important that we stick to the moment and not complicate things. One change - Yash comes in for Arsh," Iyer said.
Teams: Afghanistan (Playing XI): Ibrahim Zadran(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sediqullah Atal, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Darwish Rasooli, Noor ul Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah.
— ANI
Leave a comment