Zadran to captain Afghanistan for first time in T20I against India

Ibrahim Zadran will captain Afghanistan for the first time in a full-time role during the opening T20I against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday. The match marks the start of a three-game series, with Afghanistan hosting a bilateral series in India for the first time. Zadran, who has previously led Afghanistan in 11 T20 matches, was appointed full-time skipper following the team's early exit from the T20 World Cup under Rashid Khan earlier this year. He expressed his eagerness to embrace the new responsibility. "As a captain, I want to enjoy it, take responsibility and make the right decisions in pressure situations," Zadran told reporters. India won the toss and elected to bowl first. Captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed the playing XI, which saw the teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi omitted from the side. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma were named as the opening pair. Iyer stated at the toss, "Vaibhav is not playing, Washington is not playing, and two more." The Indian team also saw the return of fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, both of whom had been sidelined by injuries.