Ravi Bishnoi has been brought into India's playing XI as a direct replacement for the injured Varun Chakaravarthy in the 2nd T20I against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on 15 September 2026. India, who won the toss, elected to bowl first, looking to close out a series win after a dominant performance in the opener.

Toss and Team Changes

Indian captain Shreyas Iyer opted to field after calling it right at the toss, citing pitch familiarity as a tactical advantage. Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran confirmed his side would field an unchanged XI, while India's only enforced change saw Bishnoi step in for Chakaravarthy, who has been ruled out of the remainder of the series with a side strain.

Iyer said at the toss: 'We are going to bowl first. You have a fair idea of how the wicket plays, and it gives the bowlers an idea, a little bit of an advantage. It wasn't comprehensive because we could have won by a huge margin. As a bowling unit, we could have picked wickets in the middle. Varun is injured, and Ravi Bishnoi comes in.'

Zadran, meanwhile, noted: 'We would have bowled first as well. We want to play positive cricket; we didn't get a good start that day, but we covered in the middle. We will try to do better tonight. We are playing the same XI.'

What Happened in the First T20I

Afghanistan's long wait for competitive international cricket ended in frustrating fashion in the series opener, as their batting order crumbled early. Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi then combined for an 83-run partnership to lift the total to 156 — a figure that ultimately proved insufficient against India's firepower.

Abhishek Sharma was the standout performer in the chase, striking a blazing 82 off just 32 deliveries to set India on a record-breaking run rate. With the ball, Jasprit Bumrah and Chakaravarthy applied sustained pressure in the middle overs, while Arshdeep Singh claimed three wickets to wrap up the innings.

Chakaravarthy Absence Tests India's Bowling Depth

Chakaravarthy's side strain is a significant blow, particularly given that Hardik Pandya is also unavailable for this series. The dual absence leaves India's sixth bowling slot under scrutiny, with selectors and team management relying on Bishnoi to fill the spinner's role without the same mystery-bowling dimension Chakaravarthy brought to the first match.

Notably, Bishnoi is an experienced T20I campaigner in his own right — his leg-spin and variations have troubled top-order batters in previous outings — but conditions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium and the specific threat he poses to Afghanistan's middle-order will be closely watched.

Afghanistan's Path Back into the Series

For the visitors, the equation is straightforward: survive the new-ball threat of Bumrah and Arshdeep, build a total that tests India's top order, and produce a disciplined bowling performance. Afghanistan's attack — featuring Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Fazalhaq Farooqi — has the firepower to threaten, but the batting unit must first lay a platform substantial enough to defend.

A win for Afghanistan on Tuesday would level the three-match series at 1-1, setting up a series decider. Failing that, India would seal a whitewash with one game to spare.

Playing XIs

India: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Bishnoi.

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

How India's reshaped spin attack copes without Chakaravarthy — and whether Afghanistan can conjure the turnaround their campaign urgently demands — will define this contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.