India 'visitors' as Afghan hosts T20 series on Indian soil
text_fields
New Delhi: Indian cricket will witness an unusual first when Afghanistan officially hosts a three-match T20I series against India on Indian soil, forcing the home side to use the visitors’ dressing room at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.
The series begins on Sunday, September 13, with all three matches scheduled at the Delhi venue. Although India is the actual location for the entire series, the Afghanistan Cricket Board is the official host, meaning Afghanistan will enjoy the privileges normally reserved for the home team under ICC protocols.
As a result, Afghanistan will occupy the main home dressing room at the stadium, while India, led by Shreyas Iyer, will be assigned the visiting team’s facilities. Afghanistan’s players will use the dressing room named after former India cricketer Raman Lamba, while India will use the Prakash Bhandari-named dressing room designated for visiting teams.
The unusual arrangement will extend beyond the dressing rooms, with India being treated as the visiting side for official match protocols, including the toss.
Afghanistan has been forced to stage its home matches outside the country because of security concerns and inadequate infrastructure. However, having Afghanistan formally host a bilateral series in India—and India being treated as the visiting team at its own venue—is a first in Indian cricket.
The three T20Is will be played on September 13, 15 and 17, all at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, turning the Delhi ground into an unusual setting where India will effectively be the “visiting” side on home turf.