New Delhi: With India having already sealed the T20I series against Afghanistan 2-0, all eyes will be on 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Whether he gets an opportunity in the third and final match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday will be the question on every Indian fan's mind.
T20 World Cup Player of the Match Sanju Samson was preferred ahead of the young prodigy in the first two T20Is. Samson smashed 57 in the second T20I as India registered a comprehensive seven-wicket victory to take an unassailable lead in the three-match series. However, India captain Shreyas Iyer hinted after Tuesday's win that the team could make changes for the final game and give opportunities to players who have been waiting on the sidelines.
"Definitely, we want all of them to get used to the wicket and get some practice, so it will be a good opportunity to give a chance to the guys sitting out," Iyer said while speaking to the broadcaster after the second T20I. That could open the door for Sooryavanshi, who is yet to make his T20I debut.
The big question, however, is who India will leave out to accommodate the 15-year-old. Both Abhishek Sharma and Samson have been in good form at the top of the order; making a change there is a difficult call. India could also look at managing Ishan Kishan's workload, with the wicketkeeper-batter having recently led East Zone to the Duleep Trophy title.
The final T20I could also provide an opportunity for Washington Sundar and Yash Thakur to get some game time. Ravi Bishnoi could retain his place in the XI after Varun Chakravarthy was ruled out of the final T20I and the Asian Games with an injury.
Afghanistan hoping for Naveen return
Afghanistan are unlikely to make wholesale changes after going 0-2 down in the series. However, they will be hoping pacer Naveen-ul-Haq is fit and available for the final match.
Iyer's captaincy stint
The series has also marked another positive step in Shreyas Iyer's T20I captaincy stint. Iyer's tenure began with series defeats against Ireland and England before India bounced back with a clean sweep against Zimbabwe. The team then secured series wins against Afghanistan, extending its winning run under Iyer. His next assignment after the Afghanistan series will be the Asian Games.
The third and final T20I between India and Afghanistan will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday.
Teams
India: Sheryas Iyer (captain), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryvanshi, Yash Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi.
Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Darwish Rasooli, Noor ul Rahman, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Nangeliya Kharote, Abdollah Amhedzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmed.
