Explosive batting from Abhishek helps India crush Afghanistan easily
India stormed to a commanding seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in Delhi. Chasing 157 runs, the home side wrapped up the match in just 13.4 overs. Abhishek Sharma played a breathtaking knock of 82 runs off 32 balls. Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy also made triumphant returns from injury during this fixture. Matches at the Arun Jaitley Stadium traditionally offer excellent batting tracks, and this contest firmly upheld that high-scoring reputation.
Bumrah Strikes Early To Trigger Collapse
Jasprit Bumrah wasted no time making an impact. He dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz on the second delivery of the match. Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran briefly stabilized the innings. Zadran then suffered a run-out at the end of the fourth over. Arshdeep Singh soon removed Atal. Axar Patel claimed Gulbadin Naib, while Varun Chakravarthy knocked over Darwish Rasooli’s leg stump. This left Afghanistan reeling at 43 for 5.
Azmatullah Omarzai dragged his team out of deep trouble. He scored a hard-fought 64 to anchor the recovery alongside Mohammad Nabi, who contributed 33. Indian captain Shreyas Iyer successfully rotated his premier bowlers through the death overs. Arshdeep finished with superb figures of 3 for 19. Axar gave away only 27 runs in his full quota. However, Shivam Dube bowled the final over and leaked 21 runs to Omarzai. This late surge pushed Afghanistan to 156 for 8.
Sanju Samson fell early in the chase. Undeterred, Abhishek unleashed a brutal assault on the bowling attack. He struck regular boundaries against Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rashid Khan, and Omarzai. His spectacular innings featured hits all around the park. Ishan Kishan anchored the other end smoothly with 42 runs from 33 deliveries. Together, they built a dominant 121-run partnership for the second wicket. Kishan fell late in the chase, but India comfortably reached 157 for 3.
Photo courtesy: ANI
