India eyes whitewash, Afghanistan hopes to salvage a win

Business as usual. That is how India’s T20I series win over Afghanistan has seemed, having barely dropped a bead of sweat whilst registering consecutive seven-wicket wins at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the national capital. The tour of the United Kingdom in June-July, where India went without a victory in six completed T20Is against Ireland and England, may have thrown a spanner in the works in Shreyas Iyer’s first assignment as captain. But back in familiar territory, albeit Afghanistan is the official host for the ongoing series, India has reiterated its near-impregnability.

Numbers bear testimony. Since July 2024, the Men in Blue have won 23 out of 27 T20Is in India. This splendid run includes the T20 World Cup in February and March, which they lifted for the second time in succession. They have prevailed in every bilateral assignment in India in this phase.