Naveen-ul-Haq, who last played for the national team in December 2024, was set for inclusion in Afghanistan’s series against West Indies in the UAE, followed by the T20 World Cup earlier this year, but a stress fracture in his right shoulder kept him on the sidelines for more than eight months.
Batter Shahidullah Kamal has been dropped down to the reserves, while wicketkeeper Mohammad Ishaq has been dropped from the side entirely.
Afghanistan are playing their first T20I series since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup in March, where they missed out on a Super Eight spot. Zadran was named as Afghanistan’s new captain after the tournament, taking over from Rashid Khan, who features in the squad as a regular player.
Gulbadin Naib, meanwhile, has been retained. He was with Afghanistan at the T20 World Cup but wasn’t with them for their Test and ODIs against India in June and the ODIs against Ireland in August.
Afghanistan will host India on Indian soil, with all three T20Is being played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on September 13, 15 and 17 respectively.
Afghanistan squad for three-match T20I series vs Afghanistan
Ibrahim Zadran (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Noor ul Rahman, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangeyalia Kharote, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Naveen-ul-Haq
Reserves: Ijaz Ahmadzai, Shahidullah Kamal and Fareed Ahmad Malik
