India thrashed Afghanistan by seven wickets in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. After a flawless bowling show, in which India managed to restrict Afghanistan to 159 runs, openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma dominated the proceedings, helping the team seal a comfortable 2-0 series win.
Batting first, Afghanistan once again struggled to live up to expectations. It has been their constant problem against India, as Afghanistan registered only one 200-plus total against the Men in Blue in T20I cricket. On Tuesday, the template didn’t change and it started with Rahmanullah Gurbaz departing for a duck. They lost wickets at regular intervals as the hosts were reduced to 67/4 at one stage.
Azmatullah Omarzai, who scored an unbeaten half-century in the previous match, failed to keep up with the momentum as he departed for 11. Darwish Rasool managed to keep the scoreboard ticking, scoring 26. Towards the fag end of the innings, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi hit a cluster of boundaries, allowing Afghanistan to post 159 runs on the board in the first innings. Rashid made 28 runs off 16 balls, while Nabi added 20.
For India, Nitish Kumar Reddy stole the show with the ball. Replacing Hardik Pandya, he had to prove a point to justify his spot and the all-rounder did it in style, picking up three wickets. Arshdeep, on the other hand, claimed two.
Sanju-Abhishek show demolish Afghanistan
Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma launched a scathing attack on Afghanistan in the second innings. The southpaw smacked 39 runs off 19 balls, which included four maximums. On the other hand, Samson arrived at the crease under a lot of pressure, but this time he delivered. After flopping in the first T20I, his form was under the scanner, especially with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi waiting in the wings.
However, in the second game, he rose to the occasion and proved that he is one of the most dangerous batters in the world, particularly in powerplays. The Kerala batter smacked 57 runs off 22 balls and set the tone of the game. Rashid Khan had the better of him after the powerplay, but until then, India already had a tight grip on the match.
Rashid picked up another wicket when he sent captain Shreyas Iyer packing for 11 runs in the 11th over of the match. Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan carried on with the carnage after the dismissal as India chased the total with 31 balls remaining.
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