IND vs AFG 1st T20: Shreyas Iyer wins the toss; India to bowl first

Shreyas Iyer (Pic: File)

India won the toss and elected to bowl first in the first T20 match against Afghanistan. The two teams will play a three-match T20 series, starting with the opener at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

After winning the toss, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer was happy to bowl first. Iyer added that he would like to chase on what looked like a good wicket.

"We're going to bowl first. I mean, when you have played in Delhi, you know what the pitch has got to offer and we've played quite a bit of matches over here. So based on that and looking at the conditions, that's really both. [On his first ten matches as India captain]It's been a roller coaster ride, but if you see the previous series which we played against Zimbabwe, there were a lot of positives and the boys were optimistic in their approach. So, that's the attitude we've got to carry in this series as well. [On having Jasprit Bumrah available in the squad] Yes, certainly. Vaibhav (Sooryavanshi) is not playing, then Washington (Sundar) is not playing and there are two more which you'll get to know." Iyer said.

Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran said he would have bowled first too after winning the toss.

"We would have bowled first. Unfortunately, we lost the toss and we will think about batting. We will try to put a good total on the board. [On the significance of hosting India and playing at an iconic venue] Yeah, it's a great feeling for us. It is a pleasure to host India, here in India for the first time. We are trying to enjoy ourselves, trying to have a good series against them. [On expecting fan support during the series] We have got lots of support from the fans in the past as well, and just requesting them to come support, both teams. I hope they don't forget us, but hopefully they come and support their own player, their own team, and give their energy to the players." Zadran said.

Playing XI for both teams:

Afghanistan (Playing XI): Ibrahim Zadran(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi

India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy