Team India captain Shreyas Iyer dismissed a potential injury scare with wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan ahead of the first T20I against Afghanistan in Delhi on September 13. The 28-year-old is coming off leading East Zone to the 2026 Duleep Trophy title, scoring an incredible 350 runs across the two innings in the final against South Zone.
However, Kishan seemingly had back issues two days before the series opener against Afghanistan, forcing him to walk off from India’s training session. The southpaw has made No.3 his own in the Indian T20I lineup, playing a crucial role in the side’s T20 World Cup 2026 triumph.
When asked about Kishan’s availability for the first T20I against Afghanistan, Iyer said at the press conference on the eve of the contest (via Hindustan Times):
“I feel that he is comfortable at the moment. I interacted with him after the practice session. It was just a small niggle, and he has been playing continuous cricket. We all know the knock he played in the Duleep Trophy. So, definitely a bit fatigued. But today he got that rest, and I am sure that he will be fine for tomorrow.”
Kishan has been in red-hot T20I form, averaging over 48 in India’s last T20I series in Zimbabwe, which India won 3-0.
“We don’t want to look too far ahead” – Shreyas Iyer on leading India in the 2026 Asian Games
Shreyas Iyer was unwilling to look towards leading India in the 2026 Asian Games with the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in sight. After the three T20Is against Afghanistan, which will be played from September 13 to 17, India will play a one-off T20I against Japan on September 22.
Their Asian Games campaign will begin on September 28, running in parallel with the home ODI series against the West Indies.
“We will take it game by game; we don’t want to look too far ahead. Leading up to the Asian Games, we have got a great opportunity to play against a very quality side. We know that Afghanistan is a good team, and our preparation over the last couple of days has been promising,” said Iyer (via Outlook India).
Team India won gold in men’s and women’s cricket at the 2022 Asian Games held in 2023.
Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran