Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bowl against India in the third and final T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, with the series already decided after India went 2-0 up before Thursday’s final game. For Afghanistan, the task was simple enough: avoid a clean sweep and finish the contest with a better performance.
Ibrahim Zadran said bowling first was the plan Afghanistan had wanted for the previous two matches as well, but they had not been able to get the call at the toss. This time they did, and the Afghanistan captain pointed to the pitch as a surface that could support the bowlers if they executed their plans properly.
Afghanistan back their bowlers
Zadran’s message was clear. Afghanistan knew the series had gone already, but they were still looking for a proper response in New Delhi. He said they had spent time working through the areas that had not gone well in the first two games, with the aim of playing better cricket and finishing on a positive note.
He also acknowledged the scale of the challenge. India, he said, are one of the best T20 teams around and have all departments covered, which is exactly why Afghanistan wanted to keep things straightforward and play to their own plans rather than complicate the contest.
India make one change
India also made a selection decision for the final match, naming Yash Thakur in place of Arshdeep Singh. With the scoreline already 2-0, the management had the chance to look at the next option without losing sight of the need to stay sharp.
Shreyas Iyer said India would have been prepared to bat first as well, and added that they had expected Afghanistan to bowl if given the choice. He described the chase of a strong batting effort, or the work of setting one, as part of the same challenge: staying in the moment and adapting without becoming careless.
That is the key point in a dead rubber that still matters. The result may already be settled, but the final T20I still gives both sides a chance to test their discipline under match pressure. Afghanistan wanted to put India under early stress with the ball, while India were determined to keep their standards high and avoid any hint of complacency.
