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India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series with a dominant 7-wicket victory against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
India chose to bowl first and reduced Afghanistan to 159/8 in 20 overs. India’s bowling effort was headed by pacer Nitish Kumar Reddy, who recovered from an expensive opening encounter to end with 3/24. Jasprit Bumrah set the tone early with a brilliant over and the early dismissal of Gurbaz, concluding with figures of 1/21. Ravi Bishnoi contributed 1/28 to keep the middle overs tight, ensuring Afghanistan’s total was far below average at the site, despite some small late-over runs conceded by Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dube.
India’s run chase was led by a stunning 88-run opening partnership by Sanju Samson (57) and Abhishek Sharma (39) in only 6.2 overs. Samson hushed previous form questions with a searing 22-ball fifty, which included seven fours and four sixes, while Abhishek blasted a quick cameo at the top. Following Rashid Khan’s twin strike in the seventh over, skipper Shreyas Iyer (11) and Ishan Kishan (38*) cruised through the remaining runs to reach the mark in 14.5 overs.
Afghanistan’s top-order problems continued as opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah for the second time in the series. Captain Ibrahim Zadran (37) and Sediqullah Atal momentarily rebuilt the innings to 41/1 in the Powerplay, but another middle-order collapse reduced the team’s score to 100/6 by the fifteenth over. Mohammad Nabi (27) and Rashid Khan (10), combined with a last-ball six from Noor Ahmad, helped the side reach a total of 159/8, which was virtually equal to their game one tally.
Afghanistan’s bowling attack was decimated early in an 88-run powerplay onslaught by the Indian openers while defending 159 on a level track. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman gave runs at over 12 per over early on. Rashid Khan gave a short glimmer of optimism by dismissing both Sharma (39) and Samson in the seventh over, but with the top order having already conceded over 100 runs in the powerplay, Afghanistan’s bowlers lacked the run buffer to put pressure on India’s middle order.
The Men in Blue chased down the 160-run goal with merciless efficiency, earning the series victory with 31 balls remaining.
Scorecard:
Afghanistan: 159/8, Overs 20, Ibrahim Zadran 37, Nitish Kumar Reddy 3/24
India: 157/3, Overs 14.5, Sanju Samson 57, Rashid Khan 3/36
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