Mumbai, Aug 13:
Bangladesh’s hopes of hosting India for a long-pending white-ball rubber in September seem all but over with the BCCI announcing that Shreyas Iyer and his men will face Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series in Delhi from September 13 to 17.
The BCCI and the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced the series in a joint statement on Wednesday, the window for which clashes with the plans that Bangladesh had proposed.
The Indo-Bangla bilateral series had to be postponed last year due to the political unrest in that country.
The games against Afghanistan are a part of ACB’s Future Tours Programme. They are being treated as a home assignment for the ACB, which has made India a base for conducting games in recent years due to the volatile political situation in Afghanistan.
The series will get underway on September 13, with the second T20I scheduled for September 15 and the third on September 17. All the three matches will be played at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium here.
Afghanistan most recently toured India for a three-match ODI series in June, and the two sides also played a three-match T20I series in January 2024.
India hosted Afghanistan for their historic first Test in 2018, and the two teams have since continued to engage regularly across formats.
BCCI President Mithun Manhas said the Indian Board remains committed to supporting the growth of cricket in Afghanistan and providing its players opportunities to compete at the highest level.
“Bilateral cricket is an important part of this, as it allows teams to play regularly against quality opposition and gain valuable experience. We welcome the Afghanistan Cricket Board to India for this series and look forward to working closely with them to make it a successful one,” he said.
“We believe there is scope to do more together and will continue to support Afghanistan cricket while strengthening the relationship between the two cricketing nations.”
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said the India-Afghanistan cricketing rivalry has produced some thrilling encounters over the years, with both teams boasting of quality cricketers.
“Afghanistan’s players are also quite popular among fans in India, which is a reflection of the strong bond that has developed between the two cricketing nations. “India hosting Afghanistan for their historic first Test in 2018 was another significant milestone in this journey, and since then, we have continued to see regular bilateral engagements between the two teams.
Rohan Jaitley, the president of Delhi and District Cricket Association, which is hosting the matches, said the DDCA will provide the two teams the best possible facilities.
ACB Chairman Mirwais Ashraf said the series holds great significance for Afghanistan cricket and represents another important step in the development of the longstanding relationship with the BCCI.
“Hosting India for a bilateral series in India is a significant milestone for us, and we highly value the cooperation and support of the BCCI in making this event possible,” Ashraf said.
“We are confident that the series will create valuable opportunities across commercial, technical, and cricketing areas, while adding a new dimension to our bilateral engagement. We look forward to a successful series and to further strengthening our partnership with the BCCI.”