Afghanistan must target India’s openers and use spinners early, claims Sarandeep Singh ahead of series opener today

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan celebrates the dismissal of India’s Ishan Kishan during the first ODI match between India and Afghanistan at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, on Saturday, June 13, 2026(Photo: IANS)

Afghanistan will need a clear plan if they want to make the three-match T20I series against India competitive, according to former India off-spinner Sarandeep Singh.

The two teams begin their series in New Delhi, with Afghanistan coming into the contest with plenty of experience in T20 cricketSarandeep believes their best chance could be to put pressure on India’s openers from the first over.

“Afghanistan should target India’s openers, especially Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, because they attack from ball one,” Sarandeep said.

Both Abhishek and Vaibhav are highly aggressive players who look to score quickly in the powerplayThat approach can put a bowling attack under pressure but it can also give Afghanistan an opportunity if they can take early wickets.

Sarandeep feels Afghanistan should not be afraid to use their spinners with the new ballThe side has several experienced options in that department, led by Rashid Khan, while Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi also bring plenty of T20 experience.

“Afghanistan have experienced spinners, with several players playing worldwide T20 cricket, and they could start with spin because both openers have struggled against spin in the past,” he said.

That could be an important tactic, particularly in the opening match in DelhiInstead of allowing India’s top order to settle against pace, Afghanistan could look to bring their main spinners into the attack early and test the batters with different angles and speeds.

The challenge for Afghanistan is that India have several players who can change the game quicklyIf the openers survive the first few overs, the hosts have a strong middle order that can take control of the innings.

Afghanistan will also know that India have had the better of their recent meetingsThe two sides last played each other in June, when Afghanistan toured India for a Test and three-match ODI seriesIndia won the one-off Test by an innings and 300 runs before completing a 3-0 ODI series sweep.

The ODI series was particularly one-sidedIndia won the first match by seven wickets, the second by 170 runs and the third by nine wickets.

Afghanistan will therefore be looking for a different result in the T20I seriesThe shorter format gives them more room to attack, and their spin options could play a major role.

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran (C), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor ul Rahman, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Nangeyalia Kharoti

India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Sanju Samson, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy