Afghanistan’s rise in international cricket has been remarkable. They’ve beaten all Test playing nations but for one. Despite pushing India close in white-ball cricket and coming within touching distance on at least three occasions in the past (2018 Asia Cup, 2019 ODI World Cup and the 3rd T20I of a bilateral series in January 2024), the elusive victory over the Men in Blue continues to escape.
They have beaten Australia. They have defeated England. South Africa, Pakistan and New Zealand have also fallen to them. India, as they say, appear to be the final frontier to cap their rise.
Over the last few years, Afghanistan have shown that they are no longer merely a team capable of producing the occasional upset. They have developed into a strong
side, especially in limited-overs cricket, capable of challenging the best teams in the world.
And yet, there is one opponent they are still waiting to conquer.
Afghanistan’s win record vs other teams in international cricket matches
| OPPOSITION | TESTs (Played/Won/Lost) | ODIs (Played/Won/Lost) | T20Is (Played/Won/Lost) |
| Australia | – | 5/0/4 | 2/1/1 |
| Bangladesh | 2/1/1 | 22/11/11 | 16/7/9 |
| Canada | 5/4/1 | 3/3/0 | |
| England | – | 4/2/2 | 3/0/3 |
| Hong Kong | – | 2/1/1 | 6/4/2 |
| India | 2/0/2 | 7/0/6 | 9/0/8 |
| Ireland | 2/1/1 | 36/22/13 | 26/18/7 |
| Kenya | – | 6/4/2 | 3/2/1 |
| Namibia | – | – | 1/1/0 |
| Nepal | – | – | 1/0/1 |
| Netherlands | – | 10/8/2 | 4/2/2 |
| New Zealand | – | 3/0/3 | 3/1/2 |
| Oman | – | – | 5/5/0 |
| Pakistan | – | 8/1/7 | 10/4/6 |
| Papua New Guinea | – | – | 2/2/0 |
| Qatar | – | – | 1/1/0 |
| Scotland | – | 13/8/4 | 7/7/0 |
| Sri Lanka | 1/0/1 | 15/4/10 | 9/3/6 |
| South Africa | – | 6/2/4 | 4/0/4 |
| Uganda | – | – | 1/1/0 |
| UAE | – | 6/3/3 | 15/12/3 |
| West Indies | 1/0/1 | 9/3/5 | 11/5/6 |
| Zimbabwe | 5/2/2 | 31/20/10 | 21/19/2 |
Since Afghanistan first faced India in the group stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in May 2010 under Nawroz Mangal’s captaincy, the two teams have crossed paths several times across formats and in different parts of the world.
Afghanistan have had moments when they looked capable of producing the result they desperately wanted. They have pushed India hard by creating difficult situations and also came agonisingly close. But the final step remained elusive.
Now, as Afghanistan prepare for their first-ever ‘home bilateral series’ against India in India, Ibrahim Zadran and his teammates now have another chance to end that long-standing wait.
This time, they are not the inexperienced Afghanistan of 2010. They arrive with world-class spinners, proven all-rounders and a generation of batters capable of taking on the best bowling attacks in the world.
The question, therefore, is no longer whether Afghanistan have enough talent to beat India. They do.
The question is whether they can execute their plans well enough and for long enough, while also handling the pressure better than they have done in the past.
Results of all India vs Afghanistan matches (across formats)
| WINNER | MARGIN | LOSER | FORMAT | SERIES | VENUE | DATE(S) |
| India | 7 wickets | Afghanistan | T20Is | T20 World Cup 2010 | Gros Islet | May 1, 2010 |
| India | 23 runs | Afghanistan | T20Is | T20 World Cup 2012 | Colombo (RPS) | September 19, 2012 |
| India | 8 wickets | Afghanistan | ODIs | Asia Cup 2014 | Mirpur | March 5, 2014 |
| India | inns & 262 runs | Afghanistan | Test | – | Bengaluru | June 14-15, 2018 |
| — | Tie | — | ODIs | Asia Cup 2018 | Dubai | September 25, 2018 |
| India | 11 runs | Afghanistan | ODIs | ODI World Cup 2019 | Southampton | June 22, 2019 |
| India | 66 runs | Afghanistan | T20Is | T20 World Cup 2021 | Abu Dhabi | November 3, 2021 |
| India | 101 runs | Afghanistan | T20Is | Asia Cup 2022 | Dubai | September 8, 2022 |
| — | No Result | — | T20Is | Asian Games 2023 | Hangzhou | October 7, 2023 |
| India | 8 wickets | Afghanistan | ODIs | ODI World Cup 2023 | Delhi | October 11, 2023 |
| India | 6 wickets | Afghanistan | T20Is | Bilateral series | Mohali | January 11, 2024 |
| India | 6 wickets | Afghanistan | T20Is | Bilateral series | Indore | January 14, 2024 |
| India | Double Super Over | Afghanistan | T20Is | Bilateral series | Bengaluru | January 17, 2024 |
| India | 47 runs | Afghanistan | T20Is | T20 World Cup 2024 | Bridgetown | June 20, 2024 |
| India | inns & 300 runs | Afghanistan | Test | – | New Chandigarh | June 6-8, 2026 |
| India | 7 wickets | Afghanistan | ODIs | Bilateral series | Dharamsala | June 13, 2026 |
| India | 170 runs | Afghanistan | ODIs | Bilateral series | Lucknow | June 17, 2026 |
| India | 9 wickets | Afghanistan | ODIs | Bilateral series | Chennai | June 20, 2026 |
Ibrahim Zadran knows exactly what his team will be up against in New Delhi this week.
Replying to a CNN-News18 query in the pre-series interaction with the media at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday (September 12), the Afghanistan captain acknowledged the uncomfortable reality of their record against India but insisted that his team is determined to make the upcoming series memorable.
“Yes, we have played better cricket against India. In 2024, we had two Super Overs against them in the T20 series and at the ICC event, we have played better cricket against them. As you mentioned, we have never beaten them. Hopefully, we are going to play a good series, win games, win a series from them, but it is all about executing the plan, giving 100%, trying to make things easy for ourselves, not complicated,” Zadran said.
His emphasis on execution is significant.
Because Afghanistan have not necessarily been outclassed by India every time the two teams have met. There have been periods when they have matched India, and sometimes even looked like the better team. But cricket against India is often about surviving the moments when the pressure rises.
And that is where the difference has been.
When Afghanistan first appeared on the international stage, their cricket was largely built around enthusiasm, raw talent and a group of players who had learnt to compete against teams with considerably greater resources and experience.
16 years later, the picture is totally different.
They have produced one of the finest spinners in world cricket – Rashid Khan who is the highest wicket-taker in T20Is, while former captain Mohammad Nabi has become one of the most experienced and dependable all-rounders in the 20-over format.
Then there is the batting. Ibrahim Zadran has established himself as a dependable top-order presence and is ready to make his full-time debut as T20I captain, while his opening partner and wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz brings the kind of aggression that can change the course of a T20 match within a few overs.
This is no longer a team dependent entirely on one or two individuals.
But against India, that evolution is yet to deliver the desired outcome.
And one of the major reasons for that is their greatest strength — spin bowling — does not necessarily give them the same advantage against India that it gives them against many other teams.
Afghanistan have built much of their success around spin.
Rashid is the main man. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad and Mohammad Nabi provide further options, giving Afghanistan an attack that can choke batting line-ups.
For many teams, facing Afghanistan means trying to survive an extended period against high-quality spin. But India are arguably among the best teams in the world when it comes to playing spin, and that takes away one of Afghanistan’s biggest weapons.
Performance by Afghanistan bowlers against India (across formats)
| PLAYER | ROLE | TIME SPAN | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES (INNINGS) | BEST FIGURES (MATCH) | ECONOMY | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rashid Khan | Spinner | 2018-2026 | 10 | 14 | 3/26 | 3/26 | 5.52 | 0 |
| Mohammad Nabi | Spinner | 2010-2026 | 15 | 8 | 2/33 | 2/33 | 6.24 | 0 |
| Mohammad Saleem | Fast bowler | 2024-2026 | 4 | 7 | 6/140 | 6/140 | 7.02 | 1 |
| Fareed Ahmad | Fast bowler | 2022-2026 | 4 | 5 | 3/20 | 3/20 | 10.15 | 0 |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | Fast bowler | 2022-2024 | 5 | 4 | 3/33 | 3/33 | 9.09 | 0 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Spinner | 2018-2024 | 7 | 4 | 2/21 | 2/21 | 5.47 | 0 |
| Nangeyalia Kharote | Spinner | 2026-2026 | 2 | 4 | 4/76 | 4/76 | 5.78 | 0 |
| Aftab Alam | Fast bowler | 2018-2019 | 2 | 3 | 2/53 | 2/53 | 6.29 | 0 |
| Gulbadin Naib | Fast bowler | 2012-2024 | 9 | 3 | 2/51 | 2/51 | 7.9 | 0 |
| Karim Janat | Fast bowler | 2021-2024 | 6 | 3 | 2/13 | 2/13 | 12.33 | 0 |
| Yamin Ahmadzai | Fast bowler | 2018-2018 | 1 | 3 | 3/51 | 3/51 | 2.68 | 0 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | Fast bowler | 2022-2026 | 9 | 2 | 1/33 | 1/33 | 6 | 0 |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | Fast bowler | 2021-2024 | 5 | 2 | 1/33 | 1/33 | 10.56 | 0 |
| Shapoor Zadran | Fast bowler | 2010-2014 | 3 | 2 | 2/33 | 2/33 | 5.33 | 0 |
| Wafadar Momand | Fast bowler | 2018-2018 | 1 | 2 | 2/100 | 2/100 | 4.76 | 0 |
| Ziaur Rahman | Fast bowler | 2026-2026 | 3 | 2 | 1/39 | 1/39 | 4.71 | 0 |
| Dawlat Ahmadzai | Fast bowler | 2010-2010 | 1 | 1 | 1/21 | 1/21 | 10.5 | 0 |
| Dawlat Zadran | Fast bowler | 2012-2014 | 2 | 1 | 1/25 | 1/25 | 5.55 | 0 |
| Allah Ghazanfar | Spinner | 2026-2026 | 3 | 1 | 1/69 | 1/69 | 6.22 | 0 |
| Hamid Hassan | Fast bowler | 2010-2021 | 2 | 1 | 1/8 | 1/8 | 6 | 0 |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi | Spinner | 2018-2026 | 8 | 1 | 1/91 | 1/91 | 4.37 | 0 |
| Javed Ahmadi | Spinner | 2018-2018 | 2 | 1 | 1/19 | 1/19 | 4.75 | 0 |
| Karim Sadiq | Spinner | 2010-2012 | 2 | 1 | 1/33 | 1/33 | 9.16 | 0 |
| Mirwais Ashraf | Fast bowler | 2014-2014 | 1 | 1 | 1/26 | 1/26 | 5.2 | 0 |
| Rahmat Shah | Spinner | 2014-2026 | 10 | 1 | 1/22 | 1/22 | 5.88 | 0 |
| Samiullah Shinwari | Spinner | 2010-2014 | 3 | 1 | 1/11 | 1/11 | 7.08 | 0 |
Indian batters start facing quality spin bowling at the domestic level itself and are better equipped than most to deal with it. And when Afghanistan cannot dominate through spin, the pressure shifts back onto the rest of their bowling attack, which has failed to step up so far.
Former India bowler Vivek Razdan, who will be part of the commentary team for the India-Afghanistan series, believes that the inability other bowlers – if it’s an off-day for Rashid – to take charge remains a major concern.
“You cannot forget Rashid Khan. The problem is, if on a particular day Rashid Khan is not the Rashid Khan we know, then when you talk about their bowling, whether it is Mujeeb or any of the other bowlers, do they have the same impact as Rashid Khan? No. And that is where the difficulty comes in,” Razdan said while replying to a CNN-News18 question in an interaction facilitated by Sony Sports.
And that is perhaps the most important problem Afghanistan need to solve. Because Rashid does not need to take five wickets every time Afghanistan win. But when he is unable to create the pressure he usually does, they need someone else to take responsibility.
Against several international teams, they have found those match-winners. But against India, they have struggled to find them consistently.
Rashid has perhaps more experience of Indian conditions than almost anyone in the Afghanistan squad. He has spent years playing in the IPL (associated since 2017), and understands the conditions, pitches and batting styles of every player better than most overseas players. He is also the kind of cricketer who can single-handedly alter a T20 match. That is what makes Afghanistan dangerous.
Rashid Khan’s record in India
| TEAM | TIME SPAN | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES | ECONOMY | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan (in Tests) | 2018-19 | 3 | 12 | 5/82 | 3.31 | 1 |
| Afghanistan (in Tests vs India) | 2018 | 1 | 2 | 2/154 | 4.42 | 0 |
| Afghanistan (in ODIs) | 2017-2026 | 25 | 38 | 6/43 | 4.61 | 1 |
| Afghanistan (in ODIs vs India) | 2023-2026 | 4 | 6 | 3/48 | 6.96 | 0 |
| Afghanistan (in T20Is) | 2016-2026 | 26 | 53 | 5/3 | 6.09 | 2 |
| Afghanistan (in T20Is vs India) | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Gujarat Titans | 2022-2026 | 77 | 86 | 4/24 | 8.27 | 0 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 2017-2021 | 53 | 65 | 3/19 | 6.5 | 0 |
In the shortest format, a team’s overall strength can sometimes be less important than whether one player produces an extraordinary performance on a particular day. 20 overs create that possibility. A batter can destroy a bowling attack in a few overs. A bowler can turn a match with two or three wickets.
Afghanistan have exactly that kind of match-winner in Rashid.
But if he has an ordinary day, the burden on the other bowlers increases. If he fails to break a partnership, India have the batting depth and experience to keep the innings moving. And once Indian batters get through Afghanistan’s spin threat, the game can quickly move away from them.
That is why Afghanistan need more than just a good Rashid Khan performance.
They need an all-round performance.
There is another factor that makes India such a difficult opponent for Afghanistan: pressure.
Against teams like Australia, England, South Africa or New Zealand, Afghanistan have shown that they can play without fear. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain. That freedom can make them dangerous.
India present a different psychological challenge.
Every Afghanistan player knows the history. Every good start creates expectations of a historic win, and every mistake is magnified because there is a long wait for that first victory.
That is why Zadran’s comments about not thinking too much about the result are important.
“We just try to give 100% and don’t think about the result, just try to think about the process, how we are going to deliver. I am sure we will have a better series,” he said.
However, it is easier said than done.
There is no doubt that Afghanistan can challenge India in a T20 contest.
Their batting has enough firepower through Gurbaz and Zadran. Their all-rounders provide depth. Their spin attack remains one of the strongest in world cricket. And Rashid remains capable of producing a performance that changes everything.
But to defeat India, Afghanistan may need several things to fall into place together.
Their batters need to give them a strong start, whether they’re batting first or second. Their pacers need to complement the spinners. Rashid needs to have a match-winning day. The other bowlers need to be at their best if he’s not. And India, crucially, may need to have a slightly below-par day.
Razdan believes that is precisely the equation Afghanistan face.
“If Afghanistan want to beat India, they need to understand that they have to put in their best all-round performance as a team and also hope that it is a slightly off day for the Indian team. So, there are two things involved here,” he explained.
Razdan’s comments are not an admission of inferiority. In fact, they acknowledge how difficult it is to defeat three-time T20 World Cup winners India that have both quality and experience.
Afghanistan have already conquered much of the cricketing world, but India remains unfinished business.
They have faced India in T20Is, ODIs and at global events. They have pushed them close. They have taken matches deep. They have even reached Super Overs. Still, the victory column remains empty.
But there is another opportunity, and the challenge for them is to prove that they can handle the pressure of playing India as well as they handle the pressure created by their own bowling attack.
Because their journey has already established that they can compete with the best. The next chapter requires them to finish the job.
