New Delhi [India], September 12 (ANI): Former India cricketer and renowned commentator Vivek Razdan has backed India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer to remain at number four and Sanju Samson to open the innings in the first T20I against Afghanistan, scheduled for Sunday in New Delhi.
India will begin their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, with a selection dilemma at the top of the order due to the presence of four opening options -- Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Samson and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Iyer, who bats at number three for Punjab Kings in the IPL, is another option in the top order, but Razdan believes the India captain should not alter his position for the series opener.
"I think Shreyas should not change his number at the moment. He should remain at number 4. Because for the top 3, you already have four names. You have Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and Ishaan Kishan, but all three are left-handers. You already have many left-handers in your team. One should be included in the playing XI just because he is a right-hander - no! I do not agree with that at all," said Razdan.
Razdan, who was speaking during a press meet organised by Sony Sports ahead of the opening T20I, said a player's performance should take precedence over the left-right combination in the batting order.
"Who is that batsman? How has his performance been? This is very important. So, if I do not have a right-hander who has performed like this, then I will say you can play seven left-handers. Performance is the key. It is never a problem that you play with your left hand or right hand," he said.
The former India player then made a case for Samson to open, pointing to the wicketkeeper-batter's recent performances in T20 cricket.
Talking about Samson, he said, "You have a player who, just a few months ago, made more than 300 runs with a strike rate of 200 and won us the World Cup. So, he is a very good player."
Razdan acknowledged that captains often consider maintaining a left-right combination but felt Samson's performances warranted his inclusion at the top of the order.
"As a captain, sometimes you think about that left-right combination in batting. If all the left-handers play, it will be easy for their opponent to play the game holding the same line. Now, every player has his own importance, his own speciality, his own strength. So, I feel that while going to the first match, you should still play with Sanju Samson," he said.
India's top-order selection will be closely watched, with Abhishek, Kishan and Sooryavanshi also in contention for the opening slots. Sooryavanshi, 15, recently made his international debut in England and has emerged as one of the talking points ahead of the series.
The opening T20I will also mark Iyer's first home series as India's captain. Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy have returned after injury layoffs and are part of the squad.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, will be led by Ibrahim Zadran and will be looking for their first T20I victory over India. The two sides have met nine times in the format, with India winning eight and one match ending without a result.
India’s T20I squad: Shreyas Iyer (C), Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Tilak Varma (VC), Shivam Dube, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur.
Afghanistan's T20I squad: Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Noor Rahman (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai and Naveen-ul-Haq.
Watch the India tour of Afghanistan 2026 - Afghanistan vs India - 1st T20 on September 13, 2026, from 7:30 PM IST, live on Sony Sports Ten 5 SD & HD. (ANI)
Vivek Razdan backs Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, wants Sanju Samson to open for India in Afghanistan T20Is
