India hammered Afghanistan by seven wickets in the series opener.
India hammered Afghanistan by seven wickets in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday (September 13).
Opting to field first after winning the toss, the reigning T20 world champions put on a superb bowling display. They tore through Afghanistan's top order, reducing them to 43/5 in seven overs. A strong rescue partnership of 83 runs between Azmatullah Omarzai (64 *off 44) and Mohammad Nabi (33) lifted Afghanistan to a respectable total of 156/8 in their 20 overs.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the Indian bowlers, returning with the excellent figures of 3/19. Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakaravarthy claimed a wicket each,
In response, India blew away the target in just 13.4 overs, ending at 157/3. Opener Abhishek Sharma went on an absolute rampage, smashing a spectacular 82 runs from just 32 balls, featuring seven boundaries and seven towering sixes. He shared a destructive 121-run second-wicket partnership off 53 balls with Ishan Kishan, who contributed 42 off 33 balls.
Speaking after the game, India skipper Shreyas Iyer credited the entire bowling unit for working together. He highlighted Bumrah for providing a great start and building crucial early momentum, while praising Arshdeep, Axar, and Chakravarthy for their strong show.
“[You’ll be so happy because the bowling performance was great] Yes, absolutely. I’m grateful for that, and everyone worked in synergy towards the success. And as I mentioned earlier, Bumrah is a great asset to the team, and, you know, giving that start, creating the momentum for all the bowlers coming in. Arshdeep also, he bowled brilliantly, followed by Axar and Varun, the way they bowled, it was phenomenal effort,” Iyer said at the post-match presentation.
Addressing the final over, the captain explained he had no other choice but to bowl Shivam Dube. He acknowledged it was a tough situation for Dube to come in cold without a proper feel for the pitch's pace, but viewed it as a constructive learning experience for the all-rounder, who conceded 21 runs in that over.
“[Could you have done something different with the last over, or you had no choice really?] Honestly speaking, there was no choice. And you saw that it’s a bit unfair for Dube as well coming in for the 20th over, not able to gauge the pace of the wicket, how the ball is going to go on. So yeah, I felt that he would be delivering at that particular moment, but it’s absolutely fine because it’s a game of cricket, and I’m sure that he’ll go and analyze what areas he needs to work on,” Iyer remarked.
Shreyas Iyer lauded Abhishek for playing flawless and exemplary shots at the top. He noted that Kishan is currently in great form, describing him as relaxed, calm, and highly aware of his game both in the dressing room and during practice sessions.
“Starting off with Abhishek, I feel that the shots he played, it was flawless, and some of them were exemplary. But talking about Ishan, yeah, he’s been in great form currently, and the way he’s been portraying himself in the dressing room and also on the ground during practice sessions, he’s very relaxed, calm, and he knows his game at the moment. So that’s a great sign for us as a team,” Iyer concluded.