Cricket

Afghanistan vs India 1st T20 Preview & Tips - Iyer to lead India to T20 win over Afghanistan

By Ben Darvill

1 hour ago

Ben Darvill 1 hour ago

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The two nations will battle in three Twenty20's
India have won all eight of their previous T20's against Afghanistan
Preview, stats & head to head

Shreyas Iyer of India (Getty Images)

Afghanistan vs India 1st T20 Preview & Tips
Head To Head
Afghanistan Form
India Form

Afghanistan vs India 1st T20 Preview & Tips

Afghanistan beat Canada in a comfortable 82-run win in their last T20 match back in February.

India notched three consecutive wins over Zimbabwe in their last T20 series as they bounced back from a chastening 4-0 series defeat to England earlier in the month.

Afghanistan have never beaten India in the T20 game (L8)
Shreyas Iyer averages 32.16 in the T20 game for India

Head To Head

The pair have met eight times before in the T20 game, with India winning all eight meetings in a brilliant run against their opponents.

Afghanistan Form

Afghanistan have looked impressive across their last 10 T20's, losing just three times in a good run for the ever-improving side.

In this time, Afghanistan have beaten the likes of Zimbabwe, the West Indies three times, Scotland, the UAE and Canada. Defeats have come at the hands of the Windies, New Zealand and South Africa. When the quality of opponent has edged towards the world class bracket, Afghanistan have struggled.

This is no truer than in their head to head with India. Eight matches have come and gone and Afghanistan have rarely gotten close to their opponents. With the exception of a match in 2024 going to a super over, Afghanistan have struggled. Indeed, their last meeting ended in a 47-run loss, and I predict their losing run against India will continue in the first T20.

India Form

India may arrive for this one on the back of three consecutive T20 wins, but they have hardly been convincing over the last few months.

Their 96-run win over New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final was followed by a humiliating 2-0 series loss to Ireland. Instead of finding a way to bounce back, India slumped to a 4-0 series loss to England as they barely threw a punch across that contest.

They did find a way to bounce back, but this came against a Zimbabwe outfit that are hardly top tier. Wins by seven wickets, 90 runs and 35 runs were much-needed, but India will know that defeat in their opener will see any confidence extracted from their win over Zimbabwe disappear completely.

While this India side is yet to truly convince, they should have too much quality for an opponent they have dominated in the shortest format. Shreyas Iyer will likely lead with the bat as well as via captaining the side, and I predict that he will build on his average 38.88 in T20's in 2026.

Verdict

Afghanistan v India 1st T20

I am backing India to beat Afghanistan as Shreyas Iyer starts the series well with the bat.

India

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Batter Milestones

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