New Delhi: India defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets in the second T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
After opting to bowl first, India restricted Afghanistan to 159/8 in 20 overs. Captain Ibrahim Zadran scored 37 runs, while Rashid Khan contributed 28 runs from 16 balls. For India, Nitish Kumar Reddy was the standout bowler with 3/24, while Arshdeep Singh picked up two wickets.
Chasing 160, India made a blistering start as openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma attacked the Afghan bowlers, putting together 82 runs in the first six overs.
The onslaught intensified in the fifth over when Samson smashed three fours and a six off Azmatullah Omarzai, helping India collect 20 runs from the over.
India raised the tempo further in the following over, scoring 27 runs. Samson struck two sixes and two fours, while Abhishek also cleared the boundary once as India raced to 82/0 after the powerplay.
Afghanistan finally found a breakthrough in the seventh over, with Rashid Khan dismissing both Samson and Abhishek. However, the damage had already been done, with India reaching 99/2. Samson departed after scoring a stunning 57 off just 22 balls, while Abhishek contributed a rapid 39 off 19 deliveries.
Rashid struck again in the 11th over to remove Indian captain Shreyas Iyer, but Afghanistan could not build on the breakthrough. Ishan Kishan, unbeaten on 38, and Tilak Varma, unbeaten on 15, calmly guided India across the finish line.
India reached 163/3 in just 14.5 overs to secure a seven-wicket victory and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.
Rashid Khan was Afghanistan’s only wicket-taker, finishing with three wickets, including the dismissals of Samson, Abhishek and Shreyas Iyer.
Earlier, India’s disciplined bowling performance, led by an impressive three-wicket spell from all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, restricted Afghanistan to 159/8.
After winning the toss, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer opted to bowl first and made one change to the playing 11. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi replaced mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who was ruled out of the remainder of the series with a side strain.
India made an early breakthrough when Arshdeep Singh dismissed explosive opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck in the second over. However, Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran steadied the innings, taking Afghanistan to 41/1 at the end of the powerplay.
Nitish Kumar Reddy made an immediate impact, removing Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran for 37 with his very first delivery of the match.
Ravi Bishnoi struck in the 10th over to dismiss Sediqullah Atal for 12, leaving Afghanistan struggling at 67/3. Reddy then claimed his second wicket by removing Gulbadin Naib off the first ball of his next over.
Darwish Rasooli attempted to revive the innings with two sixes, but Axar Patel dismissed Azmatullah Omarzai in the 14th over. Arshdeep followed up by removing Rasooli in the next over, reducing Afghanistan to 105/6 after 15 overs.
Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan then launched a late counterattack, adding 48 runs from just 28 deliveries. Nabi scored 20 off 14 balls, while Rashid contributed a brisk 28 off 16 balls to take Afghanistan closer to the 160-run mark.
Jasprit Bumrah ended Nabi’s stay at the crease in the penultimate over before Reddy dismissed Rashid, restricting Afghanistan to 159/8 after 20 overs.
Reddy was the standout bowler for India, finishing with figures of 3/24 in three overs. Arshdeep Singh picked up two wickets for 35 runs, while Bumrah took 1/25, Axar Patel returned figures of 1/28, and Bishnoi finished with 1/32.
