India Dominates Afghanistan in T20I Series with Record-Breaking Victory

India Secures T20I Series Sweep Against Afghanistan

In a stunning display of cricket, India achieved a clean sweep in the T20I series against Afghanistan, winning the final match by a remarkable 127 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday. Abhishek Sharma's record-setting century was pivotal, while Ravi Bishnoi and Nitish Kumar Reddy combined to take six wickets.

India set a challenging target of 221 runs for Afghanistan, who were bowled out for just 94 runs in 14.1 overs. This victory marks India's 10th win by a margin of 100 runs or more in men's T20 internationals.

The 127-run loss represents Afghanistan's largest defeat in T20Is, and their total of 94 is now their lowest score against India in this format, surpassing their previous low of 111 runs recorded during the 2022 Asia Cup in Dubai.

Choosing to bat first, India started aggressively, with Abhishek Sharma attacking the Afghan bowlers. He scored 16 runs off Azmatullah Omarzai in the second over and followed it up with 22 runs off Fazalhaq Farooqi, propelling India to 45 runs without losing a wicket.

Sanju Samson joined the fray, hitting consecutive sixes off Mohammad Nabi in the fifth over, marking his achievement of 9,000 runs in T20 cricket. Abhishek reached his half-century in just 16 balls, contributing to India's impressive score of 85 runs without loss during the powerplay.

Continuing his aggressive batting, Abhishek hit two more sixes off Mujeeb Ur Rahman and completed his third T20I century in a mere 31 balls against Abdullah Ahmadzai. This remarkable feat made him the fastest player from a Test-playing nation to score a T20I century, breaking the previous Indian record of 35 balls set by Rohit Sharma in 2017.

Rashid Khan eventually ended Abhishek's explosive innings in the 10th over, dismissing him for 108 runs off just 34 balls, which included nine fours and 11 sixes. At the halfway point, India was at 142 for one.

Rashid also played a role in the dismissal of Tilak Varma, who was run out for two runs. Meanwhile, Samson secured his second consecutive half-century, scoring 50 runs off 35 balls, featuring two fours and four sixes, before being dismissed by Omarzai in the 14th over.

Shreyas Iyer contributed 29 runs, while Shivam Dube added 14 as India surpassed the 200-run mark in the 16th over. Rashid took a brilliant catch to dismiss Dube, and Afghanistan managed to take late wickets, including Ishan Kishan (10) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1). India concluded their innings at 221 for seven, with Omarzai taking two wickets and Rashid and Abdullah each claiming one.

Afghanistan began their chase positively, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and captain Ibrahim Zadran scoring 15 runs in the first over. However, India quickly regained control.

Axar Patel made an impact in the fourth over, taking two wickets by dismissing Gurbaz for 15 runs off 11 balls and Sediqullah Atal for a duck. Jasprit Bumrah then removed Darwish Rasooli for a golden duck, while Yash Thakur, making his series debut, dismissed Zadran for 25 runs off 16 balls.

Although Afghanistan crossed the 50-run mark in the sixth over, they struggled to form partnerships. Bishnoi broke the stand by taking out Noor ul Rahman for 11 runs in the ninth over.

Reddy then dismantled the middle and lower order in the 12th over, claiming the wickets of Mohammad Nabi, Omarzai, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in quick succession. Bishnoi followed suit by dismissing Rashid Khan and Abdullah Ahmadzai, concluding the innings at 94 runs.

Both Bishnoi and Reddy finished with three wickets each, while Axar took two. India's commanding victory secured a 3-0 series win.