The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have confirmed the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. The series will kick off on September 13, with the second and third matches being played on September 15 and 17, respectively. Delhiโs Arun Jaitley Stadium will host all three matches of the series.ย
BCCI president Mithun Manhas has confirmed the development, showing support to Afghanistan, who play the series as the home team. He spoke on the relation BCCI shares with Afghanistan Cricket Board and believes that the upcoming series will only strengthen it.ย
โThe BCCI remains committed to supporting the growth of cricket in Afghanistan and providing its players with opportunities to compete at the highest level. Bilateral cricket is an important part of this, as it allows teams to play regularly against quality opposition and gain valuable experience. We welcome the Afghanistan Cricket Board to India for this series and look forward to working closely with them to make it a successful one. We believe there is scope to do more together and will continue to support Afghanistan cricket while strengthening the relationship between the two cricketing nations,โ Manhas said.ย
Important test for Shreyas Iyer
Since taking over the captaincy after the IPL, Shreyas Iyer has struggled to live up to his potential. Under his leadership, India suffered an embarrassing 2-0 defeat to Ireland, which was followed by another series defeat to England. Finally, against Zimbabwe, the Mumbai-born player managed to win his first series as Indiaโs T20I captain.
However, Afghanistan are a much bigger challenge, especially in subcontinent conditions. Their spin attack can threaten the Indian team if the pitch at all supports the bowlers.ย
Bangladesh series unlikely now
BCCIโs formal confirmation has made Indiaโs proposed tour of Bangladesh increasingly unlikely. The Bangladesh Cricket Board had set aside September 1 to 13 for a six-match white-ball series, but the dates overlap with the Afghanistan series, with at least one T20I falling within that window.
With fewer than three weeks remaining before the BCBโs proposed schedule, the Bangladesh tour now appears highly unlikely unless there is an unexpected intervention from the governments involved.
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