Afghanistan players line up for the national anthem before their 2026 T20 World Cup match against UAE at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi earlier this year AFP
CHENNAI: For the first time in their cricketing history, the Indian players will occupy the visitors’ dressing room at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the second-oldest functional international cricket stadium in the country, for their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) are the hosts for the series and as per protocol, its players will get the home team’s dressing room named after former India cricketer Raman Lamba.
“It will be a unique view as Indian players will come out of the visitors’ dressing room named after former India player Prakash Bhandari,” an official from the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) told this daily. Afghanistan had played their home series against international opponents except India in Dehradun, Greater Noida and Lucknow in the past. But this is for the first time a team will host India on Indian soil.
The three matches will be held on September
The three matches will be held on September 13, 15 and 17. Not only the dressing rooms, every protocol will be reversed this time around treating Shreyas Iyer and Co as the away team. “Basically, the DDCA is making arrangements on behalf of the ACB. It has signed an agreement with the Afghanistan board. The ACB has the in-stadia rights including advertisements. So the billboards may have different sponsors unlike the home series. The DDCA will also arrange accommodation for both the teams. It will spend money and then deduct it from the income generated from in-stadia rights, vendors and other sources of income after the series. The remaining amount will be credited to the ACB’s account,” added the source.
The Afghanistan side reached New Delhi on September 4. Yamuna Sports Complex was booked for them to train and practice as curators wanted to work on the central wickets and training nets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. “We hosted the Delhi Premier League from July 31 to August 30. The curators and ground staff needed time to prepare the facility for the T20I series, so Yamuna Sports Complex has been booked for the Afghanistan team,” added the official.
The hosts were supposed to train at the complex on September 5, 6, 8 and 9 but because of heavy rain in the national capital, they couldn’t use the facility for the first two days. “Maybe tomorrow (Tuesday) and the day after (Wednesday) they can train there. From 10th onwards, they can practise in the stadium. The Indian team is expected to arrive by September 11 and they can have two training sessions before the first match,” informed the source.
Unlike any other India home series, the series
Unlike any other India home series, the series will be telecast by a different broadcaster. Sony Sports Network will live telecast the three matches. The live streaming will be available on FanCode. “It will be like any other bilateral series but the Men in Blue will be visitors this time,” signed off the source.
Afghanistan recently toured India for one-off Test and three ODIs. The Test, which India won, was played in New Chandigarh while the ODIs were held in Dharamsala, Lucknow and Chennai. India won the ODI series 3-0. The two teams last played a bilateral T20I series in January 2024. The hosts won the series 3-0 with the third T20I in Bengaluru ending in a tie before India emerged winners in a second Super Over.
After the series, the Indian team will head to Japan for the Asian Games where they will look to defend the title they won in the 2022 edition held the next year.
Source: www.newindianexpress.com
