India to use visitors’ dressing room in Delhi for Afghanistan series

India will find itself in an unusual position when Afghanistan hosts the three-match T20I series in New Delhi, with the Indian players set to use the visitors’ dressing room at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

The series begins on September 13, with the remaining two matches scheduled for September 15 and 17. However, because the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is officially hosting the series, the home and away protocols will be reversed.

Afghanistan will use the home team’s dressing room, named after former India cricketer Raman Lamba, while India will occupy the visitors’ dressing room named after former India player Prakash Bhandari.

“It will be a unique view as Indian players will come out of the visitors’ dressing room named after former India player Prakash Bhandari,” a Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) official told The Indian Express.

Afghanistan have previously hosted their home series against international opponents in India, with matches played in Dehradun, Greater Noida and Lucknow. However, this will be the first time they host India on Indian soil.

Rain disrupts training

Afghanistan arrived in New Delhi on September 4 and were scheduled to train at the Yamuna Sports Complex while work continued on the central wickets and practice nets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

The venue was booked for the visitors because the stadium had hosted the Delhi Premier League from July 31 to August 30, leaving the curators and ground staff with limited time to prepare for the T20I series.

Afghanistan were due to train at the Yamuna Sports Complex on September 5, 6, 8 and 9, but heavy rain in the national capital disrupted their plans and prevented them from using the facility on the first two days.