Afghanistan named a 15-member squad that will take on India in a three-match T20I series starting on September 13. Opening batter Ibrahim Zadran has been named the side's captain for the first time, but the major takeaway from this announcement is the return of pacer Naveen-ul-Haq.
The latter comes back into the Afghanistan side after a long injury layoff, which had prevented him from taking part in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup held earlier this year. Zadran, who steps into the captain's role for the first time, will hope to use all the experience he has gathered at the international level to the fullest.
The squad also consists of star wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz and all-rounders Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai, all of whom have a lot of experience in India. Naveen's return will give a major boost to the Afghan seam bowling unit, with the spin department already in very good hands, with the likes of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
All three matches of this series will be played in Delhi (September 13, 15 and 17). Interestingly, Afghanistan have been designated as the official hosts for this series, despite the venue being the capital city of India.
Afghanistan squad for T20I series vs India
- 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
Schedule: Afghanistan vs India T20I series
13 September - 1st T20I
15 September - 2nd T20I
17 September - 3rd T20I