Afghanistan's spin maestro Rashid Khan is set to return to the squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against India, starting next week.

This will mark Rashid's first appearance since the conclusion of last year's ODI World Cup, though his place in the Playing XI still remains uncertain as he continues to recover from his back surgery.

Opening batter Ibrahim Zadran has been appointed as the skipper for the series, following his successful leadership in guiding Afghanistan to a 2-1 victory in the T20I series against the UAE.

Additionally, Ikram Alikhil makes a comeback to the squad after being among the reserves in the UAE series, while spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman also rejoins the team after missing the T20I series against the UAE.

Mujeeb, who featured in the Big Bash League with the Melbourne Renegades, faced an early end to his season due to a revocation of his No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Afghanistan Cricket Board. This action was taken after he expressed his wish to be excluded from the central contract list.

“We are thrilled to embark on our first tour to India for a three-match series. India, the top-ranked team globally, presents an exciting challenge for AfghanAtalan. We believe our team is no longer considered underdogs; they have shown remarkable progress recently. We eagerly anticipate a fiercely competitive series against India,” remarked Mirwais Ashraf, the ACB chairman, in a statement.

The series is scheduled to commence on January 11 in Mohali. The second game is slated for January 14 in Indore, with the series concluding on January 17 in Bengaluru.

Afghanistan's T20I squad for India tour:

Ikram Alikhil (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmaullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan.

–By Aditya Ahuja