New Delhi: Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran said his team has devised specific tactical plans to tackle returning India star pacer Jasprit Bumrah in Sunday’s opening T20I of their three-match series at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Bumrah sustained a knee impact injury while fielding during the second ODI against England in Cardiff on July 16. The injury, followed by a period of rehabilitation, ruled him out of the final ODI against England and the subsequent two-Test series in Sri Lanka in August.
“If you look at Jasprit Bumrah, he is one of the best, and he is my favourite fast bowler. We as a group never think things in a complicated way for ourselves. So we have a very good plan for him, and we just thought about him, how to play against him, and hopefully we are going to play better cricket against Jasprit Bumrah or the Indian Cricket Team,” Zadran said in the press conference ahead of the match.
Speaking about Bumrah, India’s T20I captain Shreyas Iyer said the veteran pacer would benefit from regular game time and confidence as he returns from his injury layoff.
"As a player who comes out of an injury, it's important that he gets game time. And you need that sort of confidence when you're coming into the game. He has played so much cricket over the years; he's immensely experienced, but at the end of the day, if you would ask me as an individual who is coming out of an injury, I would want more game time and more confidence leading up to a certain tournament," Iyer said.
The Afghanistan series could be important for Bumrah as he looks to regain his rhythm as the Men in Blue prepare for a busy period that includes the 2026 Asian Games. "Definitely, I interacted with him yesterday, and he's in that mindset where he wants to come and perform for the team and see to it that we win championships," Iyer said.
Afghanistan ready for Sooryavanshi
Zadran also spoke about 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and how they have a plan for him as well. “He is an amazing talent. Recently, he played great cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and he has been performing well at a different level in cricket events. We have thought about him, and we have gained that knowledge from those guys who have played against him in the IPL.”
“We have already watched his videos, and we just try to keep it very simple for ourselves, just to execute the right plans at the right time against him. We are just trying to make things simple for us, not complicated,” he further said.
Afghanistan, the host of the tournament, will face India in a three-match series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on September 13, 15 and 17.
Afghanistan Squad for the T20I series
Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Noor Rahman (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Naveen-ul-Haq.
