India Look To Secure T20I Series Victory Over Afghanistan in Delhi
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Full-Strength India Too Good For Afghanistan in Opening Match
India confirmed our cricket predictions on Sunday afternoon by producing a commanding performance to beat Afghanistan by 73 runs and with 38 balls to spare in the opening match of their T20I series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Chasing a sub-par target of 157, Abhishek Sharma lit up the stage for the Men in Blue, scoring a sizzling 82 runs off just 32 deliveries. The opener smashed seven 4s and seven 6s during his knock at a stunning strike rate of 256.25.
However, the most pleasing part for India was the return of their two star bowlers!
Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy made successful returns from injury in the opening match. Bumrah bowled five wides early on, but once he found his rhythm, the star pacer was almost unplayable at times and finished with figures of 1/26 in his four overs.
Chakravarthy got the most of the Delhi pitch, notching up 1/16 in his four-over allotment, while Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the bowlers, claiming three scalps for just 19 runs. Axar Patel also chipped in with a wicket for 27 runs.
For Afghanistan, a key to levelling the series is getting a bigger contribution from Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who was dismissed for a duck on his second delivery on Sunday, and from that point on, the team lacked the batting strength needed against one of the top nations in world cricket.
Of Afghanistan’s top four specialist batsmen, Gurbaz is the only player who has maintained a strike rate at over 130 since the start of 2025. His first task will be to see off Bumrah before trying to go after the Indian spinners in today’s clash in Delhi.
India Handed Fresh Injury Blow Ahead of Second T20I
Unfortunately for India, having a full-strength squad at their disposal was short-lived, with Chakaravarthy sustaining a fresh side strain after Sunday’s game. He has now officially been ruled out for the remainder of this series against Afghanistan.
The star spinner has been plagued with injuries in recent times. He suffered a left hamstring strain in England that ruled him out of that series and forced him to sit out the team’s tour to Zimbabwe, and it seems that he is now set for another stint on the sidelines.
Chakaravarthy’s absence leaves the Indian selectors with a big call to make for today’s match. As it stands, Ravi Bishnoi is widely considered the most likely to replace him, though Washington Sundar is also a viable option.
However, Sundar is also working his way back to full fitness, and given that India already have Shivam Dube, Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy as all-rounders in the starting XI, Bishnoi represents a like-for-like replacement.
