India vs Afghanistan T20I: Sanju Samson Returns, Rinku Singh and 7 Others Dropped

New Delhi: The Indian team has come forward for the three-match T-20 series against Afghanistan. All three matches of this series to be held from 13 to 17 September will be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. This time many faces have changed from the team seen in the last T20 series against Zimbabwe. Shreyas Iyer has been made the captain and Tilak Varma the vice-captain. The biggest change has come in the form of the return of wicketkeeper batsman Sanju Samson. He was not part of the Zimbabwe tour squad.

With the return of Samson, Prabhsimran Singh had to be out this time. Prabhasimran was in the team in the last series, but he did not get a chance to play. Now their wait will not end against Afghanistan also.

Why Rinku Singh's comeback did not last long?

The decision to drop Rinku Singh from the team is definitely shocking. He made a comeback in the Zimbabwe series after being left out of the tours of Ireland and England. There he scored 37 runs in two innings and his strike rate was 168.8. Despite this, the selectors have not kept him in the team against Afghanistan. Apart from Rinku, Suryansh Shedge, Harsh Dubey, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav and Prabhsimran Singh are also out of the squad this time.

What are the major changes in bowling?

The biggest change is in bowling itself. India went to Zimbabwe with a brand new pace attack. Now all the senior bowlers are back. Varun Chakraborty has returned after injury and Ravi Bishnoi remains in the team. That means two leg spinners will remain together. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana have also returned. Akshar Patel and Washington Sundar will give balance to the team as all-rounders.

Who has gone in and out?

• The team includes Sanju Samson, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakraborty, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh.
• And out are Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav and Prabhsimran Singh. It is clear that most of the youth who were given opportunities in Zimbabwe have now been given rest.

What is its connection with Asian Games?

It is worth noting that even though the team has changed a lot since the Zimbabwe series, these 15 players are the same who were selected for the 2026 Asian Games. India has to play its first match in the Asian Games on September 28 as a quarter-final. Meaning, this Afghanistan series is being seen as a preparation for the Asian Games.

What is the update regarding fitness?

BCCI has made it clear that the playing of Bumrah, Nitish Reddy, Washington Sundar and Harshit Rana will depend on their fitness report. The board has also issued a new order regarding fitness, no excuse will be allowed.

What is India's final 15-man squad?

Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Shivam Dubey, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakraborty, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana.