New Delhi: India produced another emphatic chase at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, defeating Afghanistan by seven wickets in the second T20I on Tuesday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Chasing 160 after Afghanistan posted 159/8, India needed only 14.5 overs to cross the line, riding an explosive opening stand between Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma before Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma completed the job.
Samson provided the defining contribution at the top, smashing a 22-ball 57 in an innings that combined seven fours and four sixes. After a quiet opening couple of overs, the right-hander rapidly shifted gears, finding the boundary repeatedly against Afghanistan’s spinners.
Abhishek was equally aggressive, reaching 39 from 19 deliveries with two fours and four sixes. The pair raced to a 50-run partnership in only 28 balls and took India to 82 without loss at the end of the powerplay — the same score India had managed in the first six overs of the opening T20I.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan was brought into the attack in the seventh over and immediately provided some relief. He ended the 93-run opening partnership by dismissing Abhishek, who miscued an attempted big hit to Sediqullah Atal at mid-wicket.
Rashid struck again, four balls later, ending Samson’s blistering stay when the opener lofted a delivery towards long-off, where Mohammad Nabi completed the catch. Despite losing both openers, India were already 99/2 after seven overs and firmly in control.
Shreyas Iyer joined Ishan Kishan, who had continued the momentum with a six off Noor Ahmad. Iyer briefly threatened to accelerate, hitting Rashid for a six over extra cover, but the Afghanistan skipper claimed his third wicket soon after when Iyer edged a faster delivery to Ibrahim Zadran at slip.
That was effectively Afghanistan’s final opening. Tilak Varma joined Kishan with India needing only 35 runs, and the pair kept the chase moving without taking unnecessary risks.
Kishan then launched Mujeeb Ur Rahman for four, six and four in the 14th over, reducing the equation to a single hit. Tilak took a single off Rashid before Kishan finished the chase in style, cutting the next delivery through the off-side for four.
Earlier, Afghanistan had a difficult start after Jasprit Bumrah opened with a maiden, and Arshdeep Singh removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a second successive duck in the series. Ibrahim Zadran rebuilt with Sediqullah Atal before Nitish Kumar Reddy dismissed Zadran for 37.
Reddy went on to claim three wickets for 24 runs, while Arshdeep took two. Rashid Khan’s 28 off 16 and Mohammad Nabi’s 20 helped Afghanistan recover late, but Bumrah and Reddy struck in the final two overs to prevent a bigger finish.
Noor Ahmad hit a six from the final ball to take Afghanistan to 159/8, but India’s openers ensured the target never became a serious challenge.
The third and final T20I will be played on Thursday, with India holding an unassailable 2-0 advantage.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan 159/8 in 20 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 37, Rashid Khan 28; Nitish Kumar Reddy 3-18, Arshdeep Singh 2-35) lost to India 163/3 in 14.5 overs (Sanju Samson 57, Abhishek Sharma 39, Ishan Kishan 38*; Rashid Khan 3-36) by 7 wickets.
(IANS)
