In a year when India and Afghanistan have locked horns in a one-off Test and three ODIs, there is a feeling of familiarity as the Asian sides meet again for a T20I series. This will be uncharted territory, however, given the quirk of Afghanistan being the official host for a three-game assignment in the heart of India’s capital city.
India, which won the T20 World Cup in March for a second successive title, starts the series as the clear favourite. But it will not want to run the risk of resting on its laurels, especially after a shock series defeat to Ireland in June in Shreyas’ first assignment as full-time skipper. The 31-year-old’s start to life in the hot seat has been bumpy. Having also suffered a 0-4 rout at the hands of England following the Ireland setback, it took a three-match tour of Zimbabwe for Shreyas to revel in the afterglow of a maiden victory as captain.
Once the action gets underway beneath the twilight sky at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, India will hope for no more deviations from convention as Shreyas Iyer & Co. look to enter the Asian Games in Japan in red-hot form.
Match starts at 7 p.m. If India is getting accustomed to Shreyas’ leadership style, Afghanistan is in the process of absorbing the ideas of the new captain-coach combination of Ibrahim Zadran and Richard Pybus. The next three T20Is may offer some indications of their imprint on the team.