India resume play against Afghanistan in the second T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, aiming to clinch the three-match series. India began the series strongly, securing a comfortable seven-wicket win to take a 1-0 lead. India suffered a major setback when it was confirmed that Varun Chakravarthy would miss the rest of the series.
The BCCI confirmed that Chakravarthy was sidelined with a side strain and would head to the Centre of Excellence for rehabilitation. The injury also threatens his involvement in the Asian Games, and no definite return date has been set.
Varun Chakaravarthy’s absence is especially regrettable, as he had only recently returned to international cricket following his recovery from a hamstring injury sustained during India’s tour of England. The second T20I match is currently underway at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Shreyas Iyer once again won the toss for India and chose to field first. He said the team could have performed better with the ball during the middle overs and praised the batters for their outstanding innings. Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran also voiced his wish to bat first and aimed to establish a strong foundation with the bat, something they were unable to achieve in the last game, by making better use of the powerplay.
Chakravarthy, ruled out due to a side strain, is the sole player missing from India’s squad. Leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi replaces Chakravarthy in the side. Afghanistan remain unchanged, fielding the same team as in the previous match.
Afghanistan Squad in 2nd T20I:
Ibrahim Zadran ( c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz ( wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
India Squad in 2nd T20I:
Sanju Samson ( wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer ( c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Bishnoi
