Abhishek 1-0 Samson as India crush Afghanistan in T20I series opener in Delhi

Brief Score, AFG vs IND, 1st T20I: India (157/3 in 13.4 ovs) beat Afghanistan (156/8 in 20 ovs). Abhishek Sharma 82 off 32 balls; Arshdeep Singh 3/19

It might have been the designated home for Afghanistan in the first T20I of the landmark series in Delhi, but India showed why they are champions in such conditions. Led by the rampant Abhishek Sharma and a disciplined bowling effort, India decimated Afghanistan by seven wickets as they chased down 157 in just 13.4 overs.

The pre-series chatter was dominated by the selection pain India faced. Despite their regular results in the shortest format since their T20 World Cup triumph, the Shreyas Iyer-led Men in Blue were always considered favorites against a full Afghanistan side. This remained the case despite Afghanistan hosting India for the first time and at a venue where India had mixed results in the past.

AFG vs IND, 1st T20I: Highlighting | Scorecard

On the eve of the match, captain Iyer admitted that picking one of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be a tough task. But India made the call, dropping the 15-year-old to the bench and bolstering the right-left T20 World Cup series-winning combination.

SANJU SAMSON FALLS ON RETURN

It was a great chance for Sanju Samson to send a message to the team management after being left out of the previous assignment, the tour of Zimbabwe. It was a crucial opportunity for Abhishek Sharma to prove his detractors wrong after going nine innings without a fifty, a run that included four single-figure scores. Any extension of that run could have sent him to the bench considering the competition for places, but the Punjab opener made the most of the opportunity that came his way.

Sanju Samson was dismissed for 10 after showing why he is so highly rated when he found a fielder in deep midfield as he tried to clear the fence in the power play. You can call it high risk, high reward, but Samson was guilty of playing swing early in his innings and finding the fielder.

ABHISHEK ANSWERS THE CALL

But Abhishek made an emphatic statement, smashing 82 off just 32 balls. By the time Mohammad Nabi got him on a full toss in the 11th over, India were almost chasing down the target.

The left-handed opener entertained the crowd of 25,000 by sending balls flying into the stands at regular intervals. He made his intentions clear and dropped Fazalhaq Farooqi into the stands in the very first match. And he never looked back.

Abhishek was tough against both spin and pace, reaching his fifty in just 22 deliveries and putting together a partnership that damaged Afghanistan from both ends. Ishan Kishan was happy to play second fiddle, but he too was attacking for more than 150. The two batsmen added 121 runs in just 53 balls for the second wicket, ensuring that the series opener in Delhi was a one-sided affair.

With seven sixes and as many boundaries, Abhishek flaunted his shooting and targeted all parts of the boundary against all types of bowlers. He did not respect the wily Afghan spinners who had nowhere to hide considering the short boundaries at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Apart from Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Abhishek spared no one. He dealt with Fazalhaq and Omarzai with such ease that he picked their pockets at will.

India raced to 82 for 1 at the end of the over, exactly double Afghanistan’s score and three wickets short. When the gap in the first six powerplays is so glaring, the team that tops the powerplay often wins. It was no different on Sunday, even though Afghanistan has quality spinners in its ranks.

Afghanistan’s only hope for some respite was their spinners led by the legendary Rashid Khan.

But Abhishek Sharma was in no mood to be dazzled by rumours. For him, the bowler at the other end was simply another challenge and the cue ball another target. He smashed 46 runs off just 20 balls against Afghanistan’s quartet of spinners without allowing them to settle on a pitch that offered little help to the slower bowlers.

Ishan Kishan fell for 42 off 33 balls as India were a run away from victory. But Tilak Varma and Shreyas Iyer remained unbeaten in the end as India completed the chase in quick time and ensured Delhi cricket fans reached home in time before the Monday blues set in.

India lived up to the billing by first restricting Afghanistan to 156, a total that looked at least 50 runs under par on a pitch that had plenty of bounce and offered high value for the batting.

BUMRAH BACK AND IN STYLE

Iyer’s men did most things right on the field after winning the toss and opting to field. Apart from the dropped catch from Ishan Kishan, their fielding also looked a lot better thanks to the extensive focus on fielding drills by new fielding coach Subhadeep Ghosh. India caused two run-outs, adding to the pressure Afghanistan faced after losing their first wickets.

India intended to use their part-timers but their bowling all-rounders missed a lot. Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube shared 51 runs in three overs, almost one-third of the total. Shreyas Iyer gave Dube the final over of the innings in Afghanistan and the all-rounder gave away 21 runs, including two boundaries for tail-ender Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

But the front-line pitchers were on target Sunday.

It was set up by master Jasprit Bumrah, who needed just two legal deliveries to strike as he returned to action after being laid off due to injury. He got steamy, much like he did on Friday night in the nets, as he decided to give his teammates, including wonderkid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a tough time. This time it was Rahmanullah Gurbaz who fell victim to an extraordinary bounce and a no-nonsense line from Bumrah.

Afghanistan’s top official emerged in a rush to head back to the comfort of the ‘home’ dressing room. Ishan Kishan’s neat work along the deep mid-wicket boundary led to skipper Ibrahim Zadran being run out.

Then Sediqullah Atal went. Hitting Bumrah for a six, the young left-hander tried to be fanciful as he tried to drive an Arshdeep Singh yorker past Jasprit Bumrah at short third man.

The returning Gulbadin Naib also bowled a wicket to leave Afghanistan at the end of the mandatory over at 41 for 4. It was 43 for 5 when Varun Chakravarthy joined the group and broke Darwish Rasooli’s stumps.

ARSHDEEP SEPTEMBER

However, the experience came in handy for Afghanistan. Mohammad Nabi, 41, and familiar IPL face Azmatullah Omarzai brought calmness to the middle and bowled India with more purpose. It took a while to get going but eventually they ended up adding 83 runs in 9.2 overs for the sixth wicket.

Nabi was happy to play second fiddle to Omarzai, who remained unbeaten on 64 off 44 deliveries.

Arshdeep gave India a crucial breakthrough in the 17th over, ending a partnership that threatened to give Afghanistan a late boost. He was the pick of the Indian bowlers with figures of 3 for 19 in four overs, even more economical than Bumrah.

But Bumrah was at his best in his over, conceding just three runs and putting pressure on Rashid Khan, who managed just 1 off 10 deliveries on Sunday. In the very next over, Arshdeep enjoyed the result as he dismissed the former skipper who tried to clear long on but failed.

From then on, it was Omarzai who used Dube’s final over to get past the visitors’ 150, but the total was nowhere near enough.

Afghanistan, who have never beaten India in a T20I, will go again on Tuesday. The conditions will be similar, but Ibrahim’s men need a much bigger effort if they are to break their duck and save the ‘home’ series.

– The end

Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

13 Sep 2026 22:44 IST