New Delhi: Mohammad Nabi has been around the T20 set-up for a long, long time— 16 years, to be precise. But seniority counts for little when Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson get going.
Chasing 160, the explosive opening duo stitched an 88-run partnership that was pivotal in India’s seven-wicket win over Afghanistan in the second T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Tuesday. Shreyas Iyer and Co took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Afghanistan, after a shaky start, scored 159/8 and India reached 163/3 in 14.5 overs.
The opening pair closed in on a dominant Powerplay—India had already scored 55 runs in the first five overs. They took apart Nabi’s off-spin for 27 runs in the sixth over, taking India to a staggering 82/0 after the PowerPlay.
Rashid Khan did not fare too well either bowling the seventh over. Abhishek and Samson plundered 17 runs, underlining the depth of India’s batting threat. If Abhishek (39 in 19 balls) doesn’t get you, Samson (57 off 22 balls) will. And if both are denied, there is always Ishan Kishan (38* off 23) waiting in the wings.
After both openers were dismissed in the seventh over, Kishan took over. Shreyas Iyer did not make an impact and departed for 11 but Kishan combined with Tilak Varma, stitching an unbeaten 40-run partnership to chase the total with 5.1 overs left. Rashid was the only wicket-taker for Afghanistan with 3/36 and they will have to dig deep to find some firepower in their bowling attack.
For Afghanistan, a familiar collapse unfolded after being asked to bat. They managed to hold firm through the Powerplay this time, but then lost three wickets in three overs to slump to 67/4 after 10.1 overs.
The numbers underline the extent of Afghanistan’s batting struggles. Their combined Powerplay score of 82/5 (41/4 & 41/1) across the two matches was what India scored in each of their Powerplays. Ibrahim Zadran had a better outing this time, but the Afghanistan captain was the only member of their top four to make a substantial contribution, 37 off 33 balls.
In the first game, it was Azmatullah Omarzai and Nabi who rescued the innings, registering a 83-run partnership to help Afghanistan scrape past 150. This time, Nabi and Rashid took charge of the recovery, putting together a 48-run partnership that lifted Afghanistan to 159/8. However, against this fiery Indian batting line-up and the short boundaries, after Jasprit Bumrah started with a maiden over, it was hardly going to be enough.
Brief scores: 159/8 (I Zadran 37, Arshdeep 2/35, Nitish Reddy 3/24). India 163/3 in 14.5 overs (S Samson 57, Abhishek Sharma 39, Rashid Khan 3/36). India won by 7 wickets.
