First Twenty20 match between India and Afghanistan: Key Takeaways:
In the first Twenty20 International of the year, India defeated Afghanistan by six wickets at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, on January 11. Despite losing four wickets while chasing 159 runs, the squad was led by Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Rinku Singh. India now leads the tri series 1-0 after this victory.
India’s batting began in a disheartening way when Ibrahim Zadran ran out captain Rohit Sharma (0) in the opening over. After that, in the fourth over, Shubman Gill (23), was dismissed by Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Although he gave some impetus, Tilak Verma (26), lost his wicket in the ninth over to Azmatullah Omarzai.
Jitesh Sharma and Shivam Dube had a strong working relationship after this. However, in the fourteenth over, Sharma (31) was dismissed by Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Rinku Singh (16) reached the crease after that, and there was no going back. With his second half-century in Twenty20, Shivam Dube (60) helped India defeat Afghanistan by six wickets.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman claimed two wickets for Afghanistan, while Azmatullah Omarzai claimed one wicket.
Afghanistan had earlier conceded 158/5 to India in the opening Twenty20 International.
The visitors’ best scorer, Mohammad Nabi, supported the innings with a fast 42 off 27 balls.
Afghanistan’s captain Ibrahim Zadran (25 off 22 balls) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (23 off 28) combined 50 runs in eight overs were asked to bat first, but they were unable to push the tempo during their visit.
With a 22-ball 29, Azmatullah Omarzai added to the scoring.
With scores of 2/23, left-arm spinner Axar Patel emerged as India’s most successful bowler, followed by Mukesh Kumar with 2/33.
In the first T20 International, India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl first against Afghanistan.
Injuries would prevent Sanju Samson, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, and Yashashvi Jaiswal from playing. Yashashvi Jaiswal and the captain were decided upon as one of the openers the night before the first game. Yashashvi, according to Rohit, “didn’t pull off well” at the toss.
The seasoned Indian batsman Virat Kohli, who was selected in the Indian XI for the Afghanistan series, will be missed by fans as he is unavailable for selection in the opening game due to “personal reasons.” In Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav’s absence, Shubman Gill is anticipated to assume the number 3 place while coach Rahul Dravid has declared that Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal will start the batting for India.
Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, and Tilak Varma are also anticipated to make an appearance in the Indian playing XI, occupying nearly every position in the top six Indian batting order.
Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s best bowler, was declared unfit to play in the Twenty20 series, dealing the team a serious blow ahead of the India series.
Jonathan Trott, the Afghan coach, seems to have accepted Rashid’s removal with grace, stating that it will be intriguing to see who steps up to replace the important player.
“Obviously, we are going to miss a player like Rashid, his leadership and the overall package he brings to the side,” Trott remarked during the pre-match press conference. But, only a few months after the World Cup, it will be interesting to see who will step up and accept accountability and pressure.”
When and where to watch the match?
The three-match T20I series will be shown live and exclusively on JioCinema, Sports18-1 SD + HD, and Colors Cineplex, according to a statement from Viacom18. The series will be available on JioCinema in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam, among other languages.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson(w), Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran(c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Qais Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Karim Janat, Ikram Alikhil, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Rahmat Shah, Gulbadin Naib
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Here’s the final scorecard:
Live score for India vs. Afghanistan: This is the final score.
AFG Hitting:
Muhammad Nabi (42)
Omarzai Azmatullah (29)
Zadran Ibrahim (25).
Gurbaz Rahmanullah (23)
Zadran Najibullah (19*)
India Bowling:
Kumar Mukesh 2/33 (4)
Axar Patel 2/23(4)
Shivam Dube (1)/9 (2)
India Batting:
Shivam Dube (60 years old)
Jitesh Sharma (age 31)
Vishnu Tilak (26)
Shubman Gill (age 23)
Rinku Singh (16*)
AFG Bowling:
Rahman Mujeeb 2/21 (4)
1/33(4) Azmatullah Omarzai
