Abhishek Sharma's quick knock and Arshdeep Singh's brilliant spell propelled India to a 7 wicket win over Afghanistan in the first T20I on Sunday, September 13.
On a flat surface of the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Indian batters made a cakewalk of the 157-run chase as India took a 1-0 lead in the series.
In this article we will go through all the major highlights of the India vs Afghanistan 1st T20I.
India vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I: Key Highlights
First Innings
Afghanistan were invited to bat first by India and got off to a poor start as they were reduced to 43 for 5 in 7 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz departed for a duck, while the rest of the top order also failed to make a significant contribution.
However, Azmatullah Omarzai played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 64 runs off just 44 deliveries, smashing 4 fours and 4 sixes. He received valuable support from experienced all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, who scored 33 runs, as Afghanistan managed to recover and post a competitive total of 156 for 8.
With the ball, Arshdeep Singh was the standout performer for India, picking up three wickets while conceding just 19 runs in his four over spell. The other Indian bowlers also made valuable contributions as India did a fantastic job with the ball on the flat surface of the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Top Batters
|
Batter
|
Runs
|
Balls
|
|
Azmatullah Omarzai
|
64*
|
44
|
|
Mohammad Nabi
|
33
|
27
|
Top Bowler
|
Bowler
|
Overs
|
Runs
|
Wickets
|
|
Arshdeep Singh
|
4
|
19
|
3
|
Second Innings
Coming out to bat, it looked like a very gettable total for India given India's batting firepower in T20Is. They started in a quick fashion but Sanju Samson departed early on with just 10 runs.
Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma was looking fantastic right from the start with his aggressive intent, as he stitched together a 121-run partnership in just 53 deliveries with Ishan Kishan. Abhishek continued his assault and finally got out after a brilliant innings of 82 runs in just 32 deliveries, including 7 fours and 7 sixes.
Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan was also playing well as India were heading towards a comfortable victory. Afghanistan picked up 2 quick wickets as they got both the set batsmen out. But eventually, Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma ensured India went past victory with 38 balls left. It was an easy victory for India.
For Afghanistan, it was Mohammad Nabi who picked up 2 wickets. Apart from that, Azmatullah Omarzai also got 1 wicket. But eventually, it was a disappointing bowling performance from the Afghans.
Top Batters
|
Batter
|
Runs
|
Balls
|
4s
|
6s
|
|
Abhishek Sharma
|
82
|
32
|
7
|
7
|
|
Ishan Kishan
|
42
|
33
|
5
|
1
|
Top Bowler
|
Bowler
|
Overs
|
Runs
|
Wickets
|
|
Mohammad Nabi
|
3
|
28
|
2
|
India are now 1-0 up in the series. The next game will be a do-or-die situation for Afghanistan, which will be played at the same venue. They need to do a lot of homework to correct things around and counter the strong Indian lineup and register their 1st win against the team.