AQI
TV9 NETWORK LOGO
Default Image
Sign In

By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Latest Newsதமிழ்நாடுகிரிக்கெட்பொழுதுபோக்குவெப் ஸ்டோரிஸ்லைஃப்ஸ்டைல்வணிகம்டெக்னாலஜிஇந்தியாஆன்மீகம்உலகம்ஹெஃல்த்வைரல்போட்டோ கேலரி
Cricket
news schedule results ranking Teams Series

Afghanistan vs India , Full Score Card

Result Share

3rd T20I, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 17 Sep, 2026

India

IND

221/7

(20.0) ov

Afghanistan

AFG

94/10

(14.1) ov

India beat Afghanistan by 127 runs

Player Of The Match

Abhishek Sharma,
India
India
Scorecard
Summary
Commentary
News
Afghanistan
India
Batter R B 4s 6s SR
R Gurbaz

b A Patel

15 11 3 0 136.36
I Zadran

c I Kishan b Y Thakur

25 16 4 1 156.25
S Atal

c A Sharma b A Patel

1 3 0 0 33.33
D Rasooli

b J Bumrah

0 1 0 0 0
A Omarzai

c R Bishnoi b Kumar Reddy

17 13 1 1 130.76
Noor

c Kumar Reddy b R Bishnoi

11 15 2 0 73.33
M Nabi

b Kumar Reddy

8 9 1 0 88.88
R Khan

b R Bishnoi

6 5 1 0 120
Ur Rahman

b Kumar Reddy

0 2 0 0 0
A Ahmadzai

c A Patel b R Bishnoi

6 8 1 0 75
F Farooqi

not out

0 2 0 0 0
Extras

(b 0,lb 1,w 4,nb 0,Penalty 0)

5
Total 14.1 (RR: 6.64)
94/10

Did not bat:

Fall of wickets:

(R Gurbaz, 3.1 ov) (S Atal, 4 ov) (D Rasooli, 4.5 ov) (I Zadran, 5.2 ov) (Noor, 8.5 ov) (M Nabi, 11.1 ov) (A Omarzai, 11.3 ov) (Ur Rahman, 11.5 ov) (R Khan, 12.5 ov) (A Ahmadzai, 14.1 ov)
Bowler O M R W ER
Kumar Reddy
4 0 25 3 6.25
J Bumrah
2 0 16 1 8.00
Y Thakur
2 0 17 1 8.50
A Patel
3 0 9 2 3.00
R Bishnoi
3.1 0 26 3 8.21
Batter R B 4s 6s SR
S Samson

c R Khan b A Omarzai

50 35 2 4 142.85
A Sharma

c R Gurbaz b R Khan

108 34 9 11 317.64
T Varma

run out (R Khan)

2 5 0 0 40
S Iyer

run out (I Zadran)

29 20 0 2 145
S Dube

c R Khan b A Omarzai

14 10 1 1 140
I Kishan

run out (R Gurbaz)

10 8 1 0 125
Kumar Reddy

c Noor b A Ahmadzai

1 4 0 0 25
A Patel

not out

5 4 0 0 125
R Bishnoi

not out

0 0 0 0
Extras

(b 0,lb 0,w 2,nb 0,Penalty 0)

2
Total 20.0 (RR: 11.05)
221/7

Did not bat: J Bumrah, Y Thakur

Fall of wickets:

(A Sharma, 9.5 ov) (T Varma, 11.1 ov) (S Samson, 13.1 ov) (S Dube, 15.3 ov) (I Kishan, 17.5 ov) (Kumar Reddy, 18.3 ov) (S Iyer, 19.4 ov)
Bowler O M R W ER
F Farooqi
4 0 39 0 9.75
A Omarzai
3 0 27 2 9.00
Ur Rahman
4 0 45 0 11.25
M Nabi
1 0 29 0 29.00
R Khan
4 0 43 1 10.75
A Ahmadzai
4 0 38 1 9.50
Afghanistan
India

Afghanistan • 94/10 (14.1 overs)

I Zadran 25 (16)

A Omarzai 17 (13)

Kumar Reddy 3/25 (4)

R Bishnoi 3/26 (3.1)

India • 221/7 (20.0 overs)

A Sharma 108 (34)

S Samson 50 (35)

A Omarzai 2/27 (3)

A Ahmadzai 1/38 (4)

Commentary

Over and out from the capital - And with that, the curtains come down on a one-sided three-match T20I series, as the Men in Blue complete a dominant 3-0 sweep. Afghanistan, on the other hand, have a lot of soul-searching to do. India now turn their attention to the next white-ball assignment, which promises to mark another historic beginning. They will travel to the Land of the Rising Sun for a one-off T20I against Japan, opening a brand-new chapter in the growing cricketing landscape on Tuesday, September 22. Afghanistan will also head to Japan for the Asian Games, where they will begin their group stage campaign against Japan on Thursday, September 24. India have earned a direct qualification to the quarter-finals there. But for now, you can switch tabs to follow all the updates from the second T20I between England and Sri Lanka from Cardiff. Cheers.

Friendship Cup, living up to its name - Shreyas Iyer receives the trophy from DDCA president Rohan Jaitley, with Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran joining him for the presentation. The pair then carry it towards the WINNERS board, where the Indian players are eagerly waiting for their winning photographs. And what a heartwarming moment this is! The Indian players invite Ibrahim to join their celebrations, turning a team photograph into a beautiful display of camaraderie and friendship. This has been a historic series in many ways, with Afghanistan serving as the hosts on Indian soil. Ibrahim now steps away as the Indian support staff comes in to pose for the photographs.

The victorious Indian captain - Shreyas Iyer says he would not describe India's approach as bullying, pointing out that Afghanistan had come to India to host the series. He adds that India knew they would be batting first and did well to put up a challenging total. Reckons it was not an easy wicket, but the way Abhishek played, it was pleasing to the eye. On Axar Patel's contribution in the Powerplay, Iyer says Axar had done it in the past and had continued to perform consistently in that phase over the years.

The captain of Afghanistan - Ibrahim Zadran reflects on this defeat. He admits that it was really disappointing. Quickly adds that he was pleased to see the intent in the Powerplay. Tonight's problem, in his view, came down to losing wickets in clusters. He admits the team has been thinking hard about how to carry that intent through an entire innings rather than just the start. He admits that there have been a series or two of struggles along the way, but backs the process to pay off with time, stressing that without intent, competing with the top international sides simply isn't possible. On getting more opportunities to play against stronger teams, Zadran notes that this was Afghanistan's first T20I series since the World Cup after a long gap. He says the team needs to play more matches and series, particularly against the top-ranked sides, to improve their level. Says while Afghanistan do play against teams such as Zimbabwe and Ireland, he believes regular contests against the biggest teams would help them progress further. Speaking about Axar Patel's ability to bowl in the Powerplay, Zadran says the Indian all-rounder has done it successfully in the past and continued to deliver in critical situations. He adds that Axar thinks deeply about his game and knows when the team needs him to step up.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH AND SERIES - ABHISHEK SHARMA takes home both awards for his consistent batting display. He scored a blazing 108 off just 34 balls ​​​​​​tonight. Overall, he scored 229 runs in the series at an insane strike rate of 269.41. Abhishek Sharma says the team had been following an aggressive approach for the last two years and that one or two poor series would not define them as a batting unit. He adds that the focus had always been on dominating throughout the year ahead of the World Cup, regardless of the opposition. Abhishek acknowledges that performances can go up and down for a cricketer, but says the team's momentum, mindset and ability to stay united and focus on the next game had been crucial to their approach. On producing hundreds despite his high-risk style, Abhishek says it had all come down to trusting the process and being clear about which bowlers he wanted to take on. He adds that playing in such a manner required the backing of the coach and captain, and feels that support had allowed the team to follow this approach for the last few years. Abhishek says he did not want to restrict any particular area of the ground and instead wanted to express himself by watching the ball and hitting it. He underlines that success could not be guaranteed every time, but says India had built a culture around maximising the Powerplay and continuing to play with the same intent.

... The post-match Presentation ...

Abhishek blitz, then a blank - India blasted off to 184/3 in 15 overs, built almost entirely on carnage from Abhishek Sharma, who tore into the Afghan attack for a 30-ball century, the fastest in the format's history by a batter from a Test-playing nation. Sanju Samson chipped in nicely too with a fifty of his own, but once both fell, the innings lost all its rhythm, with Iyer and the others unable to find any real timing. Afghanistan did manage to claw their way back through the last five overs, defending superbly to restrict India to 221. They were near flawless in the field to boot, pulling off three run-outs along the way. Rashid Khan had a hand in almost every wicket, whether with the ball or in the field, while Abdollah Ahmadzai enjoyed a decent debut to remember.

Sizzling bowling display - Indeed it was, and Shreyas Iyer's captaincy deserves its share of credit too. With the pace pair of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Yash Thakur going for a bit in their opening spells, Iyer wasted no time turning to spin in the Powerplay. And Axar Patel repaid the faith instantly, striking twice in his very first over. From there, it was a complete unraveling of Afghanistan's batting spine. Bumrah delivered his special yorker, which consumed Rasooli, while Bishnoi switched it up further with a three-wicket haul of his own. But the real wrecker-in-chief turned out to be Nitish Kumar Reddy, who returned to strike thrice in a single over and killed the game off then and there.

A recurring problem - It was a bright start for Afghanistan in the chase, but the same script from the first two games played out once more. A promising opening undone by a total collapse. 31 without loss unraveled into 94 all out, and barring Ibrahim Zadran, not a single batter got past 20, with three others stalling in the teens, never quite comfortable enough to turn starts into something meaningful. This is turning out to be a worrying trend for them in the shortest format, as this time, they couldn't even cross triple figures. A serious issue that they need to address as quickly as possible before their upcoming assignments.

At the peak of their powers - The T20 World Champions hand Afghanistan a crushing defeat, sealing a 3-0 series sweep in the process. Yet another comfortably one-sided finish for the Men in Blue. It was their away series at home, with Afghanistan hosting it in the Indian capital, but on Indian soil, they have been an absolutely dominant force, not losing any T20I series since February 2019. Plenty of question marks now hang over Afghanistan. They were comprehensively outplayed with the bat, with their batting vulnerabilities surfacing again and again throughout the course of this three-match series. The wait for a first T20I win over India goes on, for the time being at least.

14.1W

OUT! IN THE AIR...GONE! Ravi Bishnoi wraps things up here with a three-fer. INDIA WIN BY 127 RUNS AND TAKE THE SERIES 3-0! This is tossed up, full and around middle. Abdollah Ahmadzai tries to slog it over mid-wicket but gets no timing at all. It goes high in the air towards deep mid-wicket, where Axar Patel circles under the high ball and pouches it safely. All smiles in the Indian camp, while a bit of a reality check for Afghanistan.

An exceptional bowling spell from Nitish. Started off by conceding 15 runs off his first over, and then roared back by picking up three wickets. 3/25 in 4 overs for him tonight.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 14 overs : 94/9

F Farooqi0 (2)

A Ahmadzai6 (7)

Kumar Reddy4-0-25-3

13.60

Another fine yorker, on off, Fazalhaq Farooqi keeps it out to the off side.

13.51

Right in the blockhole, on middle, Abdollah Ahmadzai digs it out off the inner half of the bat through square leg for a run.

13.40

Swing and a miss! A slower one, full and on leg, Abdollah Ahmadzai goes through the slog across the line early and misses. Sanju Samson fails to collect it cleanly but it does not cost anything.

13.34

FOUR! Connects well this time! Fuller delivery, on off, Abdollah Ahmadzai stays deep inside the crease and pumps it down the ground to the right of long off for a boundary.

13.20

A low full toss, on off, Abdollah Ahmadzai jams it out towards long off and once again does not take the run.

13.10

Hard length and around off, Abdollah Ahmadzai swats it off the bottom half of the bat towards long on. Surprisingly, he denies the single.

Runs Scored 7 Runs

Score after 13 overs : 89/9

F Farooqi0 (1)

A Ahmadzai1 (2)

R Bishnoi3-0-26-2

12.60

Nearly another one! Wrong'un, full and on off, turns in a bit. Fazalhaq Farooqi has a big slog across the line but misses as the ball misses the off pole by a whisker.

Fazalhaq Farooqi is the last man in.

12.5W

OUT! OUTFOXED! Wicket number two for Bishnoi as Rashid falls. Pushed through, drifting in full and around off. Rashid gets low, opens his stance, and goes for a full-blooded slog sweep, but reads the turn wrong. He anticipates it to be a googly but it is a leg break that spins away from him. His bat comes down at an angle, letting the ball sneak underneath and crash into middle stump. Afghanistan are 89/9, staring at an enormous defeat.

12.41

A slip in place now. Googly at 91 kph, full and around off, Abdollah Ahmadzai goes deep inside the crease and taps it wide of backward point for a single.

12.31

An in-drifter, on a good length, Khan is rushed n the back foot and cuts it to deep point for a single.

12.31wd

WIDE! Miles outside off, on a length. Let through by Rashid.

12.24

FOUR! Gets it through. A bit of a misfield there. Quicker and shorter, outside off, Khan cuts it off the back foot and Nitish is a touch late to dive to his right at backward point. The ball seeps through for a boundary.

12.10

Full, flat, outside off, Khan drills it down to long off and denies the run.

Runs Scored 1 Runs

Score after 12 overs : 82/8

A Ahmadzai0 (1)

R Khan1 (1)

Kumar Reddy3-0-20-3

11.60

Gets the yorker in, on middle, Abdollah manages to somehow drop the bat down and squeeze it out on the pitch. What an over from Nitish. Three wickets and just a run from it.

India can see the finish line now. Abdollah Ahmadzai comes out to the middle.

11.5W

OUT! KNOCKED HIM OVER! A triple whammy for Reddy. He is absolutely delighted and why not! A pinpoint yorker, at the base of the middle and leg stumps. Mujeeb Ur Rahman tries to jam the bat down and shovel it out, but in the process, his bat gets stuck on his back pad and the ball crashes into the stumps behind. Mujeeb cannot believe it and trudges off. Afghanistan slip further down to 82/8. India need just 2 wickets to win.

11.40

Fuller and on the pads, Mujeeb closes the bat face early to flick and gets a leading edge to backward point.

Commentary

We are back for the chase! The players are already out in the middle. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are the two openers for Afghanistan. Nitish Kumar Reddy will start proceedings with the ball. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

The struggle and the fightback - Afghanistan opted to bowl first, but India's openers quickly tore into the attack after Fazalhaq Farooqi's five-run first over. The onslaught finally ended when Rashid Khan broke the 142-run stand in the 10th over, before adding a sharp run-out soon after. From there, the visitors pulled things back, denying India's middle order easy runs and picking up regular wickets. Afghanistan were excellent in the field too, producing a couple of more direct hits. Azmatullah Omarzai claimed two while Abdollah Ahmadzai chipped in with one, helping Afghanistan claw their way back after a difficult start. Now, it is up to their batters to express themselves freely and try to hunt this target down. Join us in a bit for the second essay.

Abhishek's record ton sets up India's big total - India's openers went berserk from the outset, with Abhishek Sharma leading the charge and Sanju Samson playing second fiddle at a brisk rate. The duo raced to 100 in six overs, India's highest-ever Powerplay score in T20Is. Abhishek continued the assault, smashing the fastest T20I hundred by a player from a Test-playing nation in just 30 balls, with 11 sixes, before falling for 108. Sanju Samson notched up his fifty, but from 142/1 at the halfway mark, India slipped to 186/4 in the 16th over as the middle order failed to make the most of their starts, with Shreyas Iyer's 29 off 20 the highest score. They had clearly lost their rhythm and could not produce the late flurry they would have wanted.

Afghanistan finish strongly after early setback - India have posted a big total, but given where they stood at the halfway stage and the explosive start from their openers, they would have expected a lot more. Credit to Afghanistan for staying in the contest, pulling things back impressively in the second half and refusing to let India run away with it. They conceded just 20 runs in the final three overs, a superb way to finish the innings. Afghanistan will take confidence from that fightback and feel they are still very much in the hunt.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 20 overs : 221/7

A Patel5 (4)

R Bishnoi0 (0)

F Farooqi4-0-39-0

19.61

Decision upheld! Full and shaping in and around middle, Axar goes for the heave across the line, but gets an inside edge onto the pad, and is struck on the back leg before the ball rolls away to the off side. The LBW appeal goes up, but the umpire's finger stays down. Zadran sends it upstairs for a review. UltraEdge picks up a spike as the ball brushes the bat on its way through, backing the not-out call. They cross and India finish on 221/7, with just 6 runs coming from the last over.

19.52

Cannoned in full on middle, Axar backs away and carves it over cover-point and they charge back for the second run. Azmatullah Omarzai runs to his left and gets rid of the ball quickly, throwing it on the bounce to the keeper. But Axar scrambles back in before Gurbaz whips the bails off. Two runs taken.

Run out number 3 for India in this innings. Ravi Bishnoi is the next man in, but he won't be on strike.

19.4W

OUT! SHREYAS IYER IS RUN OUT! Superb fielding display by the Afghans as this is the third run out of the evening. Geez, they have darted some straight on the stumps. Very full and outside the off stump. Iyer smashes it to the left of the cover fielder and dashes off for a single, but the fielder, Ibrahim Zadran picks the ball quickly and nails the direct hit to the bowling end, catching Iyer short by a country-mile.

19.32

Buzzers! Another well-executed yorker from Farooqi, on middle, Shreyas Iyer shovels it to the short third region and calls Axar through for a single. The fielder there has a shy at the batting end, but misses and it rolls wide of mid off. The batters attempt the second run, and although there is a direct hit, Axar is comfortably in.

19.20

Excellent delivery! Uses a wider angle from around the stump and nails the yorker, around off. Shreyas Iyer tries to pierce the backward point and short third gap, but his bat comes down a millisecond late after the ball zips through to the keeper.

19.11

Full and speared straight on off, Axar powers it down to the left of long off for a run.

Fazalhaq Farooqi will bowl the final over. Can he keep India under 225?

Runs Scored 9 Runs

Score after 19 overs : 215/6

S Iyer27 (17)

A Patel1 (1)

A Ahmadzai4-0-38-1

18.66

SIX! After a while and Iyer finally gets one away. Slightly errs in both line and length, does Abdollah. It is a half-volley, outside off. Shreyas Iyer uses the depth of the crease by going back, frees his arms and swings it over wide long off for a cracking six.

18.52

Full and outside off, Iyer powerfully carves it to the left of long off and they amble through for a couple of runs.

18.41

Full toss, outside off, Axar mistimes the shot and slices it to deep cover for a single.

Axar Patel comes out to the middle.

18.3W

OUT! CAUGHT IN THE DEEP! Maiden T20I wicket for Abdollah Ahmadzai as he has his arms aloft. It's a special moment for any bowler to get the first wicket representing his nation. Bowls it full and on the leg stump line. Nitish Kumar Reddy clears the front leg and tries to smoke it over deep mid-wicket, but he does not get the required timing or elevation and offers a straightforward catch to Mujeeb Ur Rahman patrolling the fence there. India slip down to 206/6 with 9 balls left.

18.20

Swing and a miss! Wide yorker from Abdollah, at pace. Nitish Kumar Reddy swings for the hills, but fails to get any sort of a connection.

18.10

Well-bowled! Hammers the yorker in, around off, Reddy jams the bat down, opens the face to squeeze it away, but the ball sneaks below his bat and rolls back to the keeper.

Abdollah Ahmadzai will bowl the penultimate over.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 18 overs : 206/5

Kumar Reddy1 (1)

S Iyer19 (15)

F Farooqi3-0-33-0

17.61

Wide full toss, outside off, Reddy smashes it to long off for a single.

Another one bites the dust. Nitish Kumar Reddy walks out to bat.

17.5W

OUT! ISHAN KISHAN IS RUN OUT! Superb effort from Gurbaz to send Kishan packing. Bowled from around the stumps, and it is a wide yorker, outside off, slanted across the batter. Shreyas throws kitchen-sink at it to loft it over covers, but the ball gets squeezed off the underedge and rolls to the right of the keeper. Rahmanullah Gurbaz dives to his right and makes a half-stop with the ball getting deflected to his right. Looking at that, the batters try to pinch in a single, but Gurbaz does well to remove his gloves first, collect the ball and score a direct hit at the batting end with Kishan out by a fair bit. India are 205/5, with 13 balls remaining.

17.41

The last boundary was hit on 15.4. So this has been an excellent little phase for Afghanistan. Farooqi nails the yorker in, on off, Ishan is quick to jam the bat down and carves it to widish point for a single.

17.31

Back to around the stump to the right-hander. Overpitched on off, Shreyas lofts it on the bounce to Nabi at long on for just a single.

17.21

Nearly a yorker on the leg stump, at 132 kph, from over the stump. Ishan backs away to make room and drags it to widish long on for a single.

17.11

Very full from around the stump. Angled in from off, Shreyas tries to whip it across, but gets a bit of an inside edge onto the pad. The ball deflects through mid-wicket for a single. Iyer is struggling to get his timing right.

With 3 overs left and India already going past 200, they will be aiming to get to 250, with still batting firepower left in the tank. Also, here is Fazalhaq Farooqi to bowl now.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 17 overs : 201/4

S Iyer17 (12)

I Kishan8 (6)

A Ahmadzai3-0-29-0

16.63

Full toss on middle, Shreyas gets behind the line and whips it to the right of long on. Rashid covers a lot of ground to his right from long on, puts in a dive but parries it to the converging Omarzai from deep mid-wicket. By the time the ball is thrown to the bowling end, the batters dash through for the third run and with that, the 200 comes up for India! Just 10 runs from the over.

Afghanistan
India

Commentary

Over and out from the capital - And with that, the curtains come down on a one-sided three-match T20I series, as the Men in Blue complete a dominant 3-0 sweep. Afghanistan, on the other hand, have a lot of soul-searching to do. India now turn their attention to the next white-ball assignment, which promises to mark another historic beginning. They will travel to the Land of the Rising Sun for a one-off T20I against Japan, opening a brand-new chapter in the growing cricketing landscape on Tuesday, September 22. Afghanistan will also head to Japan for the Asian Games, where they will begin their group stage campaign against Japan on Thursday, September 24. India have earned a direct qualification to the quarter-finals there. But for now, you can switch tabs to follow all the updates from the second T20I between England and Sri Lanka from Cardiff. Cheers.

Friendship Cup, living up to its name - Shreyas Iyer receives the trophy from DDCA president Rohan Jaitley, with Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran joining him for the presentation. The pair then carry it towards the WINNERS board, where the Indian players are eagerly waiting for their winning photographs. And what a heartwarming moment this is! The Indian players invite Ibrahim to join their celebrations, turning a team photograph into a beautiful display of camaraderie and friendship. This has been a historic series in many ways, with Afghanistan serving as the hosts on Indian soil. Ibrahim now steps away as the Indian support staff comes in to pose for the photographs.

The victorious Indian captain - Shreyas Iyer says he would not describe India's approach as bullying, pointing out that Afghanistan had come to India to host the series. He adds that India knew they would be batting first and did well to put up a challenging total. Reckons it was not an easy wicket, but the way Abhishek played, it was pleasing to the eye. On Axar Patel's contribution in the Powerplay, Iyer says Axar had done it in the past and had continued to perform consistently in that phase over the years.

The captain of Afghanistan - Ibrahim Zadran reflects on this defeat. He admits that it was really disappointing. Quickly adds that he was pleased to see the intent in the Powerplay. Tonight's problem, in his view, came down to losing wickets in clusters. He admits the team has been thinking hard about how to carry that intent through an entire innings rather than just the start. He admits that there have been a series or two of struggles along the way, but backs the process to pay off with time, stressing that without intent, competing with the top international sides simply isn't possible. On getting more opportunities to play against stronger teams, Zadran notes that this was Afghanistan's first T20I series since the World Cup after a long gap. He says the team needs to play more matches and series, particularly against the top-ranked sides, to improve their level. Says while Afghanistan do play against teams such as Zimbabwe and Ireland, he believes regular contests against the biggest teams would help them progress further. Speaking about Axar Patel's ability to bowl in the Powerplay, Zadran says the Indian all-rounder has done it successfully in the past and continued to deliver in critical situations. He adds that Axar thinks deeply about his game and knows when the team needs him to step up.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH AND SERIES - ABHISHEK SHARMA takes home both awards for his consistent batting display. He scored a blazing 108 off just 34 balls ​​​​​​tonight. Overall, he scored 229 runs in the series at an insane strike rate of 269.41. Abhishek Sharma says the team had been following an aggressive approach for the last two years and that one or two poor series would not define them as a batting unit. He adds that the focus had always been on dominating throughout the year ahead of the World Cup, regardless of the opposition. Abhishek acknowledges that performances can go up and down for a cricketer, but says the team's momentum, mindset and ability to stay united and focus on the next game had been crucial to their approach. On producing hundreds despite his high-risk style, Abhishek says it had all come down to trusting the process and being clear about which bowlers he wanted to take on. He adds that playing in such a manner required the backing of the coach and captain, and feels that support had allowed the team to follow this approach for the last few years. Abhishek says he did not want to restrict any particular area of the ground and instead wanted to express himself by watching the ball and hitting it. He underlines that success could not be guaranteed every time, but says India had built a culture around maximising the Powerplay and continuing to play with the same intent.

... The post-match Presentation ...

Abhishek blitz, then a blank - India blasted off to 184/3 in 15 overs, built almost entirely on carnage from Abhishek Sharma, who tore into the Afghan attack for a 30-ball century, the fastest in the format's history by a batter from a Test-playing nation. Sanju Samson chipped in nicely too with a fifty of his own, but once both fell, the innings lost all its rhythm, with Iyer and the others unable to find any real timing. Afghanistan did manage to claw their way back through the last five overs, defending superbly to restrict India to 221. They were near flawless in the field to boot, pulling off three run-outs along the way. Rashid Khan had a hand in almost every wicket, whether with the ball or in the field, while Abdollah Ahmadzai enjoyed a decent debut to remember.

Sizzling bowling display - Indeed it was, and Shreyas Iyer's captaincy deserves its share of credit too. With the pace pair of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Yash Thakur going for a bit in their opening spells, Iyer wasted no time turning to spin in the Powerplay. And Axar Patel repaid the faith instantly, striking twice in his very first over. From there, it was a complete unraveling of Afghanistan's batting spine. Bumrah delivered his special yorker, which consumed Rasooli, while Bishnoi switched it up further with a three-wicket haul of his own. But the real wrecker-in-chief turned out to be Nitish Kumar Reddy, who returned to strike thrice in a single over and killed the game off then and there.

A recurring problem - It was a bright start for Afghanistan in the chase, but the same script from the first two games played out once more. A promising opening undone by a total collapse. 31 without loss unraveled into 94 all out, and barring Ibrahim Zadran, not a single batter got past 20, with three others stalling in the teens, never quite comfortable enough to turn starts into something meaningful. This is turning out to be a worrying trend for them in the shortest format, as this time, they couldn't even cross triple figures. A serious issue that they need to address as quickly as possible before their upcoming assignments.

At the peak of their powers - The T20 World Champions hand Afghanistan a crushing defeat, sealing a 3-0 series sweep in the process. Yet another comfortably one-sided finish for the Men in Blue. It was their away series at home, with Afghanistan hosting it in the Indian capital, but on Indian soil, they have been an absolutely dominant force, not losing any T20I series since February 2019. Plenty of question marks now hang over Afghanistan. They were comprehensively outplayed with the bat, with their batting vulnerabilities surfacing again and again throughout the course of this three-match series. The wait for a first T20I win over India goes on, for the time being at least.

14.1W

OUT! IN THE AIR...GONE! Ravi Bishnoi wraps things up here with a three-fer. INDIA WIN BY 127 RUNS AND TAKE THE SERIES 3-0! This is tossed up, full and around middle. Abdollah Ahmadzai tries to slog it over mid-wicket but gets no timing at all. It goes high in the air towards deep mid-wicket, where Axar Patel circles under the high ball and pouches it safely. All smiles in the Indian camp, while a bit of a reality check for Afghanistan.

An exceptional bowling spell from Nitish. Started off by conceding 15 runs off his first over, and then roared back by picking up three wickets. 3/25 in 4 overs for him tonight.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 14 overs : 94/9

F Farooqi0 (2)

A Ahmadzai6 (7)

Kumar Reddy4-0-25-3

13.60

Another fine yorker, on off, Fazalhaq Farooqi keeps it out to the off side.

13.51

Right in the blockhole, on middle, Abdollah Ahmadzai digs it out off the inner half of the bat through square leg for a run.

13.40

Swing and a miss! A slower one, full and on leg, Abdollah Ahmadzai goes through the slog across the line early and misses. Sanju Samson fails to collect it cleanly but it does not cost anything.

13.34

FOUR! Connects well this time! Fuller delivery, on off, Abdollah Ahmadzai stays deep inside the crease and pumps it down the ground to the right of long off for a boundary.

13.20

A low full toss, on off, Abdollah Ahmadzai jams it out towards long off and once again does not take the run.

13.10

Hard length and around off, Abdollah Ahmadzai swats it off the bottom half of the bat towards long on. Surprisingly, he denies the single.

Runs Scored 7 Runs

Score after 13 overs : 89/9

F Farooqi0 (1)

A Ahmadzai1 (2)

R Bishnoi3-0-26-2

12.60

Nearly another one! Wrong'un, full and on off, turns in a bit. Fazalhaq Farooqi has a big slog across the line but misses as the ball misses the off pole by a whisker.

Fazalhaq Farooqi is the last man in.

12.5W

OUT! OUTFOXED! Wicket number two for Bishnoi as Rashid falls. Pushed through, drifting in full and around off. Rashid gets low, opens his stance, and goes for a full-blooded slog sweep, but reads the turn wrong. He anticipates it to be a googly but it is a leg break that spins away from him. His bat comes down at an angle, letting the ball sneak underneath and crash into middle stump. Afghanistan are 89/9, staring at an enormous defeat.

12.41

A slip in place now. Googly at 91 kph, full and around off, Abdollah Ahmadzai goes deep inside the crease and taps it wide of backward point for a single.

12.31

An in-drifter, on a good length, Khan is rushed n the back foot and cuts it to deep point for a single.

12.31wd

WIDE! Miles outside off, on a length. Let through by Rashid.

12.24

FOUR! Gets it through. A bit of a misfield there. Quicker and shorter, outside off, Khan cuts it off the back foot and Nitish is a touch late to dive to his right at backward point. The ball seeps through for a boundary.

12.10

Full, flat, outside off, Khan drills it down to long off and denies the run.

Runs Scored 1 Runs

Score after 12 overs : 82/8

A Ahmadzai0 (1)

R Khan1 (1)

Kumar Reddy3-0-20-3

11.60

Gets the yorker in, on middle, Abdollah manages to somehow drop the bat down and squeeze it out on the pitch. What an over from Nitish. Three wickets and just a run from it.

India can see the finish line now. Abdollah Ahmadzai comes out to the middle.

11.5W

OUT! KNOCKED HIM OVER! A triple whammy for Reddy. He is absolutely delighted and why not! A pinpoint yorker, at the base of the middle and leg stumps. Mujeeb Ur Rahman tries to jam the bat down and shovel it out, but in the process, his bat gets stuck on his back pad and the ball crashes into the stumps behind. Mujeeb cannot believe it and trudges off. Afghanistan slip further down to 82/8. India need just 2 wickets to win.

11.40

Fuller and on the pads, Mujeeb closes the bat face early to flick and gets a leading edge to backward point.

Another double-wicket over for India. Mujeeb Ur Rahman walks out to bat.

11.3W

OUT! CAUGHT! There goes another and Reddy has his second wicket. Bowls it slightly fuller than a length, outside the off stump. Azmatullah Omarzai looks to carve it over deep cover, but the ball gets spooned off the toe end and Ravi Bishnoi makes no mistake with a simple catch at deep point. Afghanistan spiral down to 82/7 now.

11.21

Hits the length hard, outside off, Rashid stays leg side and flays it to deep point for a single.

The next man in is Rashid Khan.

11.1W

OUT! BOWLED! You miss, I hit, says Nitish. He keeps it plain and simple. Bowls it in line with the stumps and on a good length. Mohammad Nabi looks to pull by swinging hard across the line, but the ball stays a touch low on the bounce and zips below his angled bat to clatter the stumps behind. Nabi is fuming at himself as he trudges off. Afghanistan are 81/6, in the chase of 222 runs.

Spin from both ends? Nope, Nitish Kumar Reddy will continue.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 11 overs : 81/5

A Omarzai17 (12)

M Nabi8 (8)

A Patel3-0-9-2

10.60

Pulls the length a bit, outside off, Omarzai creates room to cut it away but gets a bit of an outside edge and the ball rolls to short third.

10.51

Around leg, on a fuller length, this is steered off the front foot to widish mid-wicket for a single.

10.41

Length ball, sliding in and around leg. Azmatullah Omarzai backs away and steers it to deep square leg for a single.

10.30

A slight appeal for LBW, but it is going down leg. Turned down by the umpire too. Sliding into the batter, full on leg, Omarzai looks to work it across into the leg side but gets an inside edge onto the front pad.

10.21

Slows it up, full and outside off, spinning away. Nabi drags it off the inner half of the bat towards mid-wicket for a single.

10.10

Nice and full, around off, Nabi leans on and pushes it back to the bowler.

Drinks Break! Afghanistan are in desperate need of a lift-off after being reduced from 31/0 to 70/5 with the same story repeating. Barring Ibrahim Zadran, no batter has crossed 20 so far, and the asking rate is a mammoth 14.4. India will look to snag a couple of wickets as quickly as possible and just kill the game right here to complete a whitewash. Axar Patel is back on. 2/6 in 2 overs so far.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 10 overs : 78/5

M Nabi6 (5)

A Omarzai16 (9)

Kumar Reddy2-0-19-0

9.61

On a length and on middle, Mohammad Nabi knocks it towards mid on for one more.

9.50

Full again and on off, Mohammad Nabi pushes it away and finds short cover again.

9.40

Fuller and on off, Mohammad Nabi drives it to the left of short cover.

9.31

Back of a length and around off, Azmatullah Omarzai punches it towards long off for another run.

9.21

Short of a length and on off, takes pace off. Mohammad Nabi hops up to pull it away but gets a bottom edge as the ball drops on the off side just beside the cut-strip on off. The batters sneak in a run.

9.11

Good length and around off, Azmatullah Omarzai opens the bat face and pushes it through cover-point for a single.

Nitish Kumar Reddy is back on. He went for 15 runs off his only over so far. He replaces Axar Patel.

Runs Scored 13 Runs

Score after 9 overs : 74/5

M Nabi4 (1)

A Omarzai14 (7)

R Bishnoi2-0-19-1

8.64

FOUR! Gets off the mark in fine fashion! Quicker delivery, short and outside off. Mohammad Nabi gets the chance to free his arms and crunches it through point for a boundary.

The debutant runs out of luck eventually. And that brings Mohammad Nabi to the crease at number 7.

8.5W

OUT! STRAIGHT TO THE FIELDER! Ravi Bishnoi strikes. He tosses it up, full and just outside off. Noor ul Rahman tries to go big down the ground but fails to get fully underneath it and his bat turns in his hands as well. He does not get the elevation and hits it much flatter. It flies straight to long off, where Nitish Kumar Reddy does not have to move an inch and takes a good catch. Afghanistan lose half their side now with 70 runs on the board.

8.41

Flatter, short and on middle, Azmatullah Omarzai stays back and swats it down to long on for another run.

8.31

Googly, on a length, on middle, Noor ul Rahman drags it off the inner half of the bat through mid-wicket and square leg for a single.

8.21

Drags the length back a bit, outside off, Omarzai steers it to deep cover-point for a single.

8.16

SIX! Goes all the way! Drops a full ball, does Ravi. On a lower trajectory, on the stumps. Azmatullah Omarzai gets low on his knee and smokes it gun-barrel straight down the ground for a massive six.

Quite an eventful over, this. Two opportunities shelled by India. Afghanistan need 161 runs in 72 balls.

Runs Scored 4 Runs

Score after 8 overs : 61/4

Noor10 (13)

A Omarzai6 (4)

A Patel2-0-6-2

7.60

Arm ball, shortish and on off, Noor ul Rahman backs away and steers it to point.

7.50

Flighted, full and on middle, Noor ul Rahman blocks it out.

7.44

FOUR! Nicely done! Dragged back, outside off, Noor ul Rahman uses the width on offer and cuts it through point for a boundary.

7.30

MISSED STUMPING! Noor ul Rahman is living a charmed life here. Axar Patel slows it up, full and on off. Noor skips down the track to go big over covers but gets beaten on the flight. However, Sanju Samson fails to collect the ball and breaks the stumps with his gloves after the ball pops out and drops down. Noor once again starts to walk back, but he has been asked to wait. The third umpire checks the replay and sees that it is not a clean stumping.

7.20

Short and on middle, Noor ul Rahman pats it back to the bowler.

7.10

DROPPED! That should have been taken Tossed up, full and on off, Noor ul Rahman goes for the lofted shot but mistimes it high in the air. It goes towards long off, where Tilak Varma comes forward, settles under it and tries to take it too close to his chest and spills it. Noor already started walking back and the batters don't get any run.

Axar Patel (1-0-2-2) returns into the attack, replacing Yash Thakur.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 7 overs : 57/4

Noor6 (7)

A Omarzai6 (4)

R Bishnoi1-0-6-0

6.61

Goes back to the shorter length, on off, Noor ul Rahman backs away and cuts it wide of backward point. Jasprit Bumrah dives to his left to make the stop. They cross.

6.50

Slows it up, full and on middle, Noor ul Rahman strides out to block but the ball hits him high on the bat and pops out to the right of the bowler.

6.51wd

WIDE! Wrong'un, short and turning down the leg side. Noor ul Rahman tries to clip it to the leg side but misses. Sanju Samson grabs it by moving to his left and appeals for caught behind. Gets nothing from the umpire, who signals a wide.

6.41

Drops it short, just outside off, Azmatullah Omarzai stabs it out towards extra cover for another run.

6.30

A googly, full and on middle, turns in, Azmatullah Omarzai misses his flick and gets hit on the pads.

6.21

Floated, full and on off, Noor ul Rahman taps it towards cover for a single.

6.21wd

WIDE! Quicker, short but down the leg side, Noor ul Rahman fails to glance it away. Wided.

6.11

Flatter, short and around leg, Azmatullah Omarzai swings it away towards deep square leg for a single.

End of the Powerplay. India have demolished Afghanistan's top order, reducing them to 51/4. At the same stage, the Men in Blue were 100/0. Bowling change as the field spreads. Here's Ravi Bishnoi. He replaces Jasprit Bumrah.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 6 overs : 51/4

Noor4 (4)

A Omarzai4 (1)

Y Thakur2-0-17-1

5.64

FOUR! Gets it away! Hits the deck hard, on middle, takes pace off again. Noor ul Rahman stays back and flicks it, using his wrists past mid-wicket as the ball races to the fence for a boundary. Afghanistan finish the Powerplay on 51/4.

5.50

Pace off, hard length and on middle, Noor ul Rahman pats it down the pitch.

5.40

Pitched up, on middle, Noor ul Rahman knocks it towards mid on.

5.30

Good length and on off, Noor ul Rahman takes a couple of steps out and blocks it out to short cover.

31/0 turns to 47/4 for Afghans. It's the same story repeating from the first two games. A good, promising start followed by a massive collapse and that's the skipper gone. This makes Afghanistan's case a lot more difficult in this chase. Noor ul Rahman, the debutant, is in at number 6.

5.2W

OUT! TAKEN IN THE DEEP! Yash Thakur gets among the wickets. He goes much fuller and on the pads. Ibrahim Zadran picks it off and whips it away, timing it well but he hits it towards the longer side. It flies towards deep square leg, where Ishan Kishan moves a bit to his left and takes a good catch. Zadran was looking good, but also has to depart after getting to a good start.

5.14

FOUR! Put away! Short of a length and just outside off. Ibrahim Zadran picks up the length early, gets on top of the bounce and pulls it away to the deep mid-wicket fence for a boundary.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 5 overs : 43/3

A Omarzai4 (1)

I Zadran21 (14)

J Bumrah2-0-16-1

4.64

FOUR! Off the mark with a glorious boundary. Good-length delivery, on top of off, Azmatullah Omarzai plays it on the up and marvellously drives it through the cover and mid off gap for a boundary.

Afghanistan are falling apart here. Azmatullah Omarzai is the next man in.

4.5W

OUT! KNOCKED HIM OVER! A Jasprit Bumrah special. A sizzling yorker that consumes Rasooli. Bumrah lasers in a pinpoint yorker at the base of the middle and leg stumps. Rasooli is a fraction late to bring his bat down to squeeze it out, and that is enough for the ball to sneak below his willow and make an absolute mess of the stumps behind. A golden duck for Darwish Rasooli. Afghanistan are falling apart here as they slip down to 39/3, chasing 222 runs.

4.41

Bowled slightly fuller and on the leg stump. Ibrahim flicks it through mid-wicket for a single.

4.30

Good length, around off, Zadran stands tall and punches it to cover.

4.31wd

WIDE! Banged short but down leg. Ibrahim misses the tickle, and Samson does well to dive to his left and make a half-stop with his left glove.

4.20

A bit of an appeal for LBW, but turned down. Bumrah turns back to his bowling mark and India do not review it. Good length, angling in, and it beats the inside edge to thud into Ibrahim's front pad before rolling away. Seems to be a bit of an inside edge on this one.

4.14

FOUR! Up and over! Full and on the pads, Ibrahim Zadran picks it up and lofts it over mid-wicket for a boundary.

Double-wicket over from Axar Patel. Darwish Rasooli comes out to the middle. Also, Jasprit Bumrah is back on.

Runs Scored 2 Runs

Score after 4 overs : 33/2

S Atal1 (3)

I Zadran16 (10)

A Patel1-0-2-2

3.6W

OUT! TOP EDGE AND GONE! Axar with a double whammy and India are in ascendancy. Axar stays around the stumps and drifts the ball across the batter, on a fuller length. Sediqullah Atal goes for a pre-meditated slog sweep, across the line, but gets a massive top edge. The ball gets sliced up in the night sky and sails over deep mid-wicket. Abhishek Sharma runs in off the ropes, calls for the catch and takes it nicely. Afghanistan are 33/2, needing 189 runs from 96 balls.

3.51

Just in! Gives more flight and pitches it up on a length, Ibrahim goes for the sweep, gets a bit of an inside edge and is struck on the front pad, and the ball dribbles away towards cover. The batters shoot across for a single. But there's a direct hit at the bowler's end. However, the replay shows that Ibrahim just planted his bat in time before the stumps were hit.

Is that a run out? The third umpire sees the replay, where Ibrahim Zadran's feet are up in the air but he has grounded his bat just in time.

3.40

Dropped a bit short, on off, this is hacked away to mid on.

3.31

Drag-downer, on middle and off, Sediqullah Atal miscues the pull shot off the back foot. Abhishek Sharma sprints to his right from deep square leg and collects it on a couple of bounces. One run taken.

3.20

Full on middle, Atal taps it to the left of the bowler.

Early blow for Afghanistan. Sediqullah Atal walks out to bat at number 3.

3.1W

OUT! BOWLED! Axar breaks the opening stand in style. He dishes out a full-length delivery by giving it a good bit of rip, on the leg stump line. Gurbaz gets low on his knee and has an ugly swipe across the line to sweep, but plays the wrong line. The ball sneaks past the bat and uproots the leg stump. Afghanistan are 31/1, chasing 222 runs.

Double change and it is time for some spin. Axar Patel replaces Jasprit Bumrah.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 3 overs : 31/0

I Zadran15 (8)

R Gurbaz15 (10)

Y Thakur1-0-9-0

2.60

Full toss outside off, Zadran drives it straight to Ishan Kishan at cover-point and seeing Gurbaz charge and retreat at the bowling end, he throws it but misses his shy by a long way. However, the ball is backed up by the fielder at mid on.

2.50

Pulls the length a little bit, 128 kph, outside off. Zadran stands tall and knocks it to Kishan at cover-point.

2.44

FOUR! Straight as an arrow! Thakur overcooks this one, full and around off, Ibrahim lets his hands flow through the line and cracks it over mid off for a boundary.

2.31

A smidge fuller than a length, outside off, Gurbaz flays it uppishly and on the bounce to deep backward point for a single.

2.21lb

Takes pace off, on a good length, jagging back in off the pitch. Zadran looks to whip it across to the leg side, but misses and the ball deflects away to cover-point. They cross for a leg bye.

2.14

FOUR! Picked up and over! Thakur starts with a length ball, on off. There is not much venom on it and Zadran stands tall and swings it over mid-wicket for a boundary.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 2 overs : 21/0

R Gurbaz14 (9)

I Zadran7 (3)

J Bumrah1-0-6-0

1.60

Hits the deck hard, on off, Gurbaz knocks it to the backward point region and seeing Gurbaz taking a few steps out of the crease to sneak a run, Reddy has a shy at the batting end, but misses. Had the throw hit, that would definitely have been close.

1.54

FOUR! Excellent timing and placement! Short of a good length, wide on off. Gurbaz waits back and just guides it behind backward point as the ball rifles away to the fence.

1.41

Bends his back and bowls it short on top of middle, Zadran swivels and pulls it to long leg. Yash Thakur gets across to his right and collects it on the bounce. One run taken.

1.31

Cannons in a yorker, on middle, Rahmanullah Gurbaz backs away and has a wild swing at it, but gets a fat inside edge and the ball is squirted behind to short fine leg for a single.

1.20

Slants it into the batter by hammering it on a length. Rahmanullah Gurbaz looks to pull it uppishly, but gets beaten on the inside edge, getting hit around the midriff.

1.10

Bumrah begins with a good-length delivery that shapes away late. Gurbaz just about aborts to poke at it and withdraws his bat inside the line.

Afghanistan have got off to a flier here. Jasprit Bumrah will share the attack.

Runs Scored 15 Runs

Score after 1 overs : 15/0

I Zadran6 (2)

R Gurbaz9 (4)

Kumar Reddy1-0-15-0

0.60

Full-ish, on off, Zadran strokes it to the left of mid off. An expensive start for NKR. He goes for 15 runs off the opening over.

0.56

SIX! Helped on its way really! Angled on the pads on a good length. Ibrahim Zadran uses his wrists and whips it aerially over deep backward square leg for a six.

0.41

Slightly fuller than the previous ball, outside off, Gurbaz plays off the back foot and knocks it wide of cover-point for a single.

0.34

FOUR! Finds the gap once again! Back of a length, outside the off stump. Gurbaz hangs back and cuts it between cover and point for a cracking boundary. Very good shot.

0.24

FOUR! Finally, after a couple of consecutive ducks, Gurbaz is off the mark in this series and so are Afghanistan, in a mammoth run chase. Reddy offers room outside off, on a length. Gurbaz lets the ball nip away and then cuts it behind backward point, finding the gap nicely for a boundary.

0.10

Bangs it short on top of off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz hops off the toes and taps it to cover-point. He is off for a single, but is immediately sent back by Ibrahim as the fielder is quick to attack the ball to his left.

Commentary

We are back for the chase! The players are already out in the middle. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are the two openers for Afghanistan. Nitish Kumar Reddy will start proceedings with the ball. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

The struggle and the fightback - Afghanistan opted to bowl first, but India's openers quickly tore into the attack after Fazalhaq Farooqi's five-run first over. The onslaught finally ended when Rashid Khan broke the 142-run stand in the 10th over, before adding a sharp run-out soon after. From there, the visitors pulled things back, denying India's middle order easy runs and picking up regular wickets. Afghanistan were excellent in the field too, producing a couple of more direct hits. Azmatullah Omarzai claimed two while Abdollah Ahmadzai chipped in with one, helping Afghanistan claw their way back after a difficult start. Now, it is up to their batters to express themselves freely and try to hunt this target down. Join us in a bit for the second essay.

Abhishek's record ton sets up India's big total - India's openers went berserk from the outset, with Abhishek Sharma leading the charge and Sanju Samson playing second fiddle at a brisk rate. The duo raced to 100 in six overs, India's highest-ever Powerplay score in T20Is. Abhishek continued the assault, smashing the fastest T20I hundred by a player from a Test-playing nation in just 30 balls, with 11 sixes, before falling for 108. Sanju Samson notched up his fifty, but from 142/1 at the halfway mark, India slipped to 186/4 in the 16th over as the middle order failed to make the most of their starts, with Shreyas Iyer's 29 off 20 the highest score. They had clearly lost their rhythm and could not produce the late flurry they would have wanted.

Afghanistan finish strongly after early setback - India have posted a big total, but given where they stood at the halfway stage and the explosive start from their openers, they would have expected a lot more. Credit to Afghanistan for staying in the contest, pulling things back impressively in the second half and refusing to let India run away with it. They conceded just 20 runs in the final three overs, a superb way to finish the innings. Afghanistan will take confidence from that fightback and feel they are still very much in the hunt.

Runs Scored 6 Runs

Score after 20 overs : 221/7

A Patel5 (4)

R Bishnoi0 (0)

F Farooqi4-0-39-0

19.61

Decision upheld! Full and shaping in and around middle, Axar goes for the heave across the line, but gets an inside edge onto the pad, and is struck on the back leg before the ball rolls away to the off side. The LBW appeal goes up, but the umpire's finger stays down. Zadran sends it upstairs for a review. UltraEdge picks up a spike as the ball brushes the bat on its way through, backing the not-out call. They cross and India finish on 221/7, with just 6 runs coming from the last over.

19.52

Cannoned in full on middle, Axar backs away and carves it over cover-point and they charge back for the second run. Azmatullah Omarzai runs to his left and gets rid of the ball quickly, throwing it on the bounce to the keeper. But Axar scrambles back in before Gurbaz whips the bails off. Two runs taken.

Run out number 3 for India in this innings. Ravi Bishnoi is the next man in, but he won't be on strike.

19.4W

OUT! SHREYAS IYER IS RUN OUT! Superb fielding display by the Afghans as this is the third run out of the evening. Geez, they have darted some straight on the stumps. Very full and outside the off stump. Iyer smashes it to the left of the cover fielder and dashes off for a single, but the fielder, Ibrahim Zadran picks the ball quickly and nails the direct hit to the bowling end, catching Iyer short by a country-mile.

19.32

Buzzers! Another well-executed yorker from Farooqi, on middle, Shreyas Iyer shovels it to the short third region and calls Axar through for a single. The fielder there has a shy at the batting end, but misses and it rolls wide of mid off. The batters attempt the second run, and although there is a direct hit, Axar is comfortably in.

19.20

Excellent delivery! Uses a wider angle from around the stump and nails the yorker, around off. Shreyas Iyer tries to pierce the backward point and short third gap, but his bat comes down a millisecond late after the ball zips through to the keeper.

19.11

Full and speared straight on off, Axar powers it down to the left of long off for a run.

Fazalhaq Farooqi will bowl the final over. Can he keep India under 225?

Runs Scored 9 Runs

Score after 19 overs : 215/6

S Iyer27 (17)

A Patel1 (1)

A Ahmadzai4-0-38-1

18.66

SIX! After a while and Iyer finally gets one away. Slightly errs in both line and length, does Abdollah. It is a half-volley, outside off. Shreyas Iyer uses the depth of the crease by going back, frees his arms and swings it over wide long off for a cracking six.

18.52

Full and outside off, Iyer powerfully carves it to the left of long off and they amble through for a couple of runs.

18.41

Full toss, outside off, Axar mistimes the shot and slices it to deep cover for a single.

Axar Patel comes out to the middle.

18.3W

OUT! CAUGHT IN THE DEEP! Maiden T20I wicket for Abdollah Ahmadzai as he has his arms aloft. It's a special moment for any bowler to get the first wicket representing his nation. Bowls it full and on the leg stump line. Nitish Kumar Reddy clears the front leg and tries to smoke it over deep mid-wicket, but he does not get the required timing or elevation and offers a straightforward catch to Mujeeb Ur Rahman patrolling the fence there. India slip down to 206/6 with 9 balls left.

18.20

Swing and a miss! Wide yorker from Abdollah, at pace. Nitish Kumar Reddy swings for the hills, but fails to get any sort of a connection.

18.10

Well-bowled! Hammers the yorker in, around off, Reddy jams the bat down, opens the face to squeeze it away, but the ball sneaks below his bat and rolls back to the keeper.

Abdollah Ahmadzai will bowl the penultimate over.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 18 overs : 206/5

Kumar Reddy1 (1)

S Iyer19 (15)

F Farooqi3-0-33-0

17.61

Wide full toss, outside off, Reddy smashes it to long off for a single.

Another one bites the dust. Nitish Kumar Reddy walks out to bat.

17.5W

OUT! ISHAN KISHAN IS RUN OUT! Superb effort from Gurbaz to send Kishan packing. Bowled from around the stumps, and it is a wide yorker, outside off, slanted across the batter. Shreyas throws kitchen-sink at it to loft it over covers, but the ball gets squeezed off the underedge and rolls to the right of the keeper. Rahmanullah Gurbaz dives to his right and makes a half-stop with the ball getting deflected to his right. Looking at that, the batters try to pinch in a single, but Gurbaz does well to remove his gloves first, collect the ball and score a direct hit at the batting end with Kishan out by a fair bit. India are 205/5, with 13 balls remaining.

17.41

The last boundary was hit on 15.4. So this has been an excellent little phase for Afghanistan. Farooqi nails the yorker in, on off, Ishan is quick to jam the bat down and carves it to widish point for a single.

17.31

Back to around the stump to the right-hander. Overpitched on off, Shreyas lofts it on the bounce to Nabi at long on for just a single.

17.21

Nearly a yorker on the leg stump, at 132 kph, from over the stump. Ishan backs away to make room and drags it to widish long on for a single.

17.11

Very full from around the stump. Angled in from off, Shreyas tries to whip it across, but gets a bit of an inside edge onto the pad. The ball deflects through mid-wicket for a single. Iyer is struggling to get his timing right.

With 3 overs left and India already going past 200, they will be aiming to get to 250, with still batting firepower left in the tank. Also, here is Fazalhaq Farooqi to bowl now.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 17 overs : 201/4

S Iyer17 (12)

I Kishan8 (6)

A Ahmadzai3-0-29-0

16.63

Full toss on middle, Shreyas gets behind the line and whips it to the right of long on. Rashid covers a lot of ground to his right from long on, puts in a dive but parries it to the converging Omarzai from deep mid-wicket. By the time the ball is thrown to the bowling end, the batters dash through for the third run and with that, the 200 comes up for India! Just 10 runs from the over.

16.51

Full and on middle, angling in. Ishan couldn't really get his bat under the ball and muscles it over the bowler's head. Nabi, from long on, sprints to his right and stops it on the bounce. One run taken.

16.51wd

WIDE! Reload! Slants it far down the leg side, on a full-ish length. Ishan misses to whip it over square leg. Despite two wides so far, this has been a quiet over from Abdollah.

16.41

Another full toss on off, Iyer shuffles a touch to the off side and whisks it to the right of long for a run.

16.31

Looks to go for a yorker, but it comes out as a low full toss, Kishan mows it to long on for a single.

16.31wd

WIDE! Misses the radar completely. Full and miles down leg. Ishan misses to play the pick-up shot and Gurbaz dives full-stretch to his right to grab it.

16.21

Full toss on middle, Iyer runs it to long on for a single.

16.11

Overpitched on off, Ishan blasts it down to the right of long on for a single.

Abdollah Ahmadzai is back on.

Runs Scored 7 Runs

Score after 16 overs : 191/4

I Kishan5 (3)

S Iyer12 (9)

A Omarzai3-0-27-2

15.61

Short of a length, angled in, Ishan, with quick hands, pulls it to deep mid-wicket for a single.

15.50

Full and outside off, and it holds its line. Kishan reaches for the drive away from his body but is beaten on the outside edge.

15.44

FOUR! Shuffled down the order, but it makes no difference to Kishan. Back of a length, outside off, Ishan hops on the toes and gloriously nails the square cut to deep backward point, beating the sweeper's slide to his right for a boundary. Kishan is off the mark with a four.

The next man in is Ishan Kishan. Normally bats at number 3, but India wanted to give game time to other batters.

15.3W

OUT! FANTASTIC CATCH! Another Superman effort by Rashid in the field. He has been involved in almost every wicket so far in some way or the other. The reason he is called a genuine match-winner who gives everything to the game. Full and drifting in from middle stump. Dube clears his front leg and chips it to the left of long on but gets no timing on it. Rashid covers the ground rapidly to his left, eyes glued to the ball, and comes up with a fine, tumbling grab. However, the third umpire is brought in to check the legality of the catch. He checks a couple of reviews before deeming it a fair catch. India are 186/4.

15.21

Afghanistan lose the review! Omarzai slips in a full toss on the leg stump. Shreyas gets across and tries to heave it to the leg side, but it looks like he has got an inside edge as the ball hits the back pad. A long appeal for LBW, but nothing from the umpire. It is given as run off the bat, in fact. And Afghanistan have gone for a review. UltraEdge shows a slight spike when the ball is next to the inside edge. The on-field decision is upheld and Shreyas gets a single as the ball rolls to the leg side. He hobbles a bit as he completes the run but nothing serious.

15.11

Comes from around the stump and bowls a full ball, angling in on middle and leg. Shivam Dube turns it to deep backward square leg for a single.

So, 1/43 in 4 overs for Rashid as he goes for 17 runs off his final over. Last 5 overs left, and India look well-placed for a 240-250 finish here.

Runs Scored 17 Runs

Score after 15 overs : 184/3

S Iyer11 (8)

S Dube13 (8)

R Khan4-0-43-1

14.66

SIX! Shreyas Iyer's turn now! Rashid Khan bowls this flatter, short and just around off. Iyer backs away early to create room. extends his arms and slaps it over the deep extra cover fence for half a dozen more.

14.51

Quicker, short again and outside off, Shivam Dube punches it through cover-point for a single.

14.40

Slows it up, shortish and around off, Shivam Dube pats it back to the bowler.

14.34

FOUR! Sheer power! Rashid Khan drags his length back, just on off. Shivam Dube picks up the length early. Hangs back and muscles it to the long on fence for a one-bounce four.

14.26

SIX! Up, up and away! Floated, full and on middle and leg. Shivam Dube opens up his stance, brings his bottom hand into play and slogs it powerfully over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie.

14.10

A googly, short and around off, turns away, Shivam Dube cuts it away to point.

Rashid Khan returns and will bowl out. 1/26 in 3 overs so far.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 14 overs : 167/3

S Dube2 (3)

S Iyer5 (7)

A Omarzai2-0-20-1

13.61

Pace off, pulls his length back and around off. Shivam Dube hangs his bat away and knocks it wide of short cover. A bit of a mix-up but he sets off for the run. The fielder slides to his left to make a half-stop, but by that time, Iyer is safe.

13.51

Goes fuller and on off, shaping in, Shreyas Iyer drills it down to long on for one.

13.40

Hard length and on off, nips back in, Shreyas Iyer hops up and pats it towards mid off.

13.31

Pitched up and on off, Shivam Dube pushes it through covers for a single.

13.20

Comes around the wicket, serves this full and around off, holds its line. Shivam Dube looks to drive it away but gets beaten on the outside edge.

End of a fine knock from Samson. Well, no Kishan yet, as Shivam Dube is in at number 5.

13.1W

OUT! TAKEN! The new pair of gloves only lasts one ball. Azmatullah Omarzai serves this fuller and on off, Sanju Samson backs away a bit and tries to mow it down the ground. He gets it from the bottom half of the bat and fails to get the elevation. It flies flat and hard towards long off, where Rashid Khan judges it well as he leaps a bit and takes a fine catch with both hands stretched above his left shoulder. So, fifty and out for Sanju Samson.

Afghanistan have managed to pull things back, even if slightly. Just 12 runs in the last two overs for India. Azmatullah Omarzai is brought back on. 1-0-17-0 so far and he replaces Rashid Khan.

Runs Scored 9 Runs

Score after 13 overs : 164/2

S Iyer4 (5)

S Samson50 (34)

Ur Rahman4-0-45-0

12.60

Slows it up, full and on middle, Shreyas Iyer knocks it down the pitch.

12.52

Quicker, full and around leg, Shreyas Iyer clips it wide of deep square leg and comes back for the second run.

12.41

FIFTY FOR SANJU SAMSON! From just 34 balls. This is his 8th half-century in T20Is and back-to-back in this series. Darted in full and on leg, Samson jams it out to long on for a run. He raises his bat and acknowledges his teammates and the crowd.

12.31

Fires this one, full and on the pads, Shreyas Iyer flicks it to deep square leg for a run.

12.21

Flatter, full and on leg, Sanju Samson tucks it through mid-wicket for a single.

12.14

FOUR! Gets it away! Floated, full and on middle, Sanju Samson backs away and lofts it but from the bottom half of the bat. It flies down the ground and to the left of long on for a boundary.

Runs Scored 3 Runs

Score after 12 overs : 155/2

S Samson44 (31)

S Iyer1 (2)

R Khan3-0-26-1

11.61

On a lower trajectory, outside off on a length, Sanju cuts it to deep point for a single. A rare boundary-less over as just 3 runs come from it, including Tilak's wicket.

11.50

Another shortish delivery, on off, Sanju Samson stabs it out to the off side.

11.41

Dragged back, around off, Shreyas Iyer swats it to long off for a run.

11.30

Tossed up, full and on middle, Shreyas Iyer works it to short mid-wicket.

11.21

Short again, on leg, Sanju Samson clips it through mid-wicket for a single.

So two quick wickets for the Afghans, both involving Rashid Khan's brilliance - one with the ball and one in the field off his own bowling. Shreyas Iyer is in at number 4.

11.1W

OUT! TILAK VARMA IS RUN OUT! A moment of brilliance in the field from Rashid Khan brings in another wicket for Afghanistan. He drops it short, on middle and leg, Tilak stays back and tucks it to the vacant short mid-wicket region and calls for the run. He stops for a millisecond in between, which proves to be his downfall. Rashid quickly runs to his left, picks up the ball and hits a bullseye on the turn at the bowler's end. He is already celebrating, but the third umpire is called in. Well, Tilak is already walking back and the replay shows that he is short of his crease. 142/0 becomes 152/2 for India!

Is Tilak run out at the bowling end? By his body language, it looks like it, and in fact, he is trudging off. The replay shows that he is short of his crease. OUT loads on the big screen.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 11 overs : 152/1

T Varma2 (4)

S Samson42 (28)

Ur Rahman3-0-36-0

10.61

Quicker, short and on middle and leg, Tilak Varma flicks it off the back foot to deep mid-wicket for one.

10.50

Slows it up, full and on middle, Tilak Varma uses his feet and knocks it back to the bowler.

10.41

Dragged back, around off, Sanju Samson punches it to sweeper cover for another run.

10.31

Floated, full and on leg, Tilak Varma clips it through mid-wicket for a run. 150 up for India!

10.21

Flatter, short and around leg, Sanju Samson backs away to pull but gets cramped for room. Gets an inside edge onto his pads as the ball rolls towards short fine. They cross.

10.16

SIX! Well, Abhishek Sharma's departure has not affected Sanju Samson one bit. This is tossed up, full and around off, Samson goes inside out and lofts it beautifully over extra covers for a biggie.

Runs Scored 8 Runs

Score after 10 overs : 142/1

T Varma0 (1)

S Samson34 (25)

R Khan2-0-23-1

9.60

A huge appeal for LBW, but the umpire just walks away. Gurbaz is the one who is pleading, but Rashid turns back and Afghanistan do not review. Pitched slightly outside leg on a fuller length, Tilak tries to whip it to the leg side but plays the wrong line and the ball beats his inside edge to click the pad before rolling away. At halfway, India are 142/1.

Finally, something to cheer about for the Afghans, and it is time for a breather as the umpires call for DRINKS. Afghanistan needed this, as the Indian openers have absolutely destroyed their bowling attack. However, they have finally managed to break the massive 142-run stand and will be hoping to build on it. On the other hand, India will just want to continue to attack and march towards a mammoth score. Also, it is Tilak Varma in at number 3.

9.5W

OUT! CAUGHT! At long last, a wicket for Afghanistan. Rashid ends Abhishek's fun. He dishes out the googly, on a length and just outside off. Abhishek goes deep inside the crease to punch it away to the off side, but seems to have got an outside edge. An appeal for caught behind, and up goes the finger. But hang on! Abhishek has opted for a review here. But the UltraEdge detects a massive spike when the ball is next to Abhishek's bat. The on-field decision is upheld and Abhishek walks off to a huge round of applause. A bit of a surprising review, though. India are 142/1 in 9.5 overs.

9.41

Floated, full and on middle, Sanju Samson tucks it through mid-wicket for a run.

9.30

Dragged back, around off, Sanju Samson steers it towards point.

9.21

Flatter, full and on leg, Abhishek Sharma uses his feet and drills it to long on for a single.

9.16

SIX! Short and punished! Rashid Khan bowls a half-tracker, on middle. Abhishek Sharma has all the time in the world to rock back and whacks it high in the night sky and over the deep mid-wicket fence for a biggie.

Runs Scored 10 Runs

Score after 9 overs : 134/0

S Samson33 (23)

A Sharma101 (31)

A Ahmadzai2-0-19-0

8.60

Nails the yorker in, on middle, Samson is quick to jam the bat down and carves it to short third.

8.51

Full and at the pads, Abhishek miscues the flick shot off the toe end and it rolls to deep mid-wicket for a single.

8.41

Low full toss, on leg, Samson clips it to widish long on for a single.

What a moment for the young man from Punjab! He has been flawless right from ball one, and his mentor, Yuvraj Singh, will be a proud man right now.

8.31

HUNDRED FOR ABHISHEK SHARMA! From just 30 balls and Murali Kartik on air informs that this is the fastest T20I century by anyone among Test-playing nations. Pitched up, full and around off. Sharma plays with a straight bat face and drives it down to long off for a single to bring up the milestone. He gets rid of his helmet and raises both arms to soak in the applause. Then comes the celebration, down on his haunches in what looks like a yoga pose, eyes closed, pointing to the sky. Absolute scenes as everyone at the Arun Jaitley Stadium is up on their feet to appreciate this ridiculously flawless ball-striking from this man. He has made batting look like a stroll in the park to get to his third T20I century. Absolutely incredible.

8.26

SIX! Destroyed into the stands! Number 10 for Abhishek and that's one of the best of the lot tonight. Short-pitched delivery, on middle, angling in. Abhishek goes deep inside the crease and handsomely pulls it over deep mid-wicket for a mammoth six. He is on 99 off just 29!

8.11

Low full toss, on the pads, Samson drills it to long on's right for a single.

Runs Scored 15 Runs

Score after 8 overs : 124/0

A Sharma93 (28)

S Samson31 (20)

Ur Rahman2-0-26-0

7.66

SIX! Carted down the ground! Into the wheelhouse, a half-volley on middle. Abhishek clears the front leg and with no intention of keeping it down, he clubs it gun-barrel straight for a six. 15 runs off the over. Sharma is into his 90s now and we are not even halfway into the first innings.

7.51

Short and on off, Samson stands tall and punches it crisply to long off for one more.

7.41

Quicker through the air, full and around off, Sharma drills it down to long off for a single.

7.36

SIX! Goes the distance! Dropped a bit full and sliding on the leg stump. Abhishek transfers the weight on the back foot and smokes it over the long on fielder for half a dozen more.

7.21

Outside off, on a length, Samson punches it down to long off for a single.

7.10

Slightly short and outside off, kicking up a bit. Samson cuts it on the bounce to backward point.

With the field restrictions lifted, Abdollah Ahmadzai has bowled a relatively quiet over, giving away just 9 runs. Also, Mujeeb Ur Rahman replaces Rashid Khan.

Runs Scored 9 Runs

Score after 7 overs : 109/0

A Sharma80 (25)

S Samson29 (17)

A Ahmadzai1-0-9-0

6.64

FOUR! PUNISHED! A slower one, but short and on the stumps, 118 kph. Enough time for Abhishek to swivel and pull it mercilessly through square leg for a boundary. Abhishek's strike rate is an insane 320 right now as he moves to 80 from just 25 balls.

6.50

Bends his back and bangs it hard into the pitch. Short on top of off, Abhishek sways away from the firing line. Good heat on this one by Abdollah.

6.40

From around the stump. Short of a length, on off, Sharma rides the bounce, opens the bat face and guides it straight to the short third fielder.

6.31

Slows it up, does Abdollah, on a length, on middle. Samson drags it to the right of long on for a single. Abhishek wants the second, but he is sent back in time.

6.20

Good length, nipping back into the batter, Samson leans back and glides it to short third.

6.14

FOUR! Sumptuous! Back of a length, outside off, Samson hops on the back foot and nails the square cut through backward point, beating the sweeper to his left for a boundary. Samson moves to 28 (15).

Incredible Powerplay for India! We have seen some brutal ball-striking from both openers, especially Abhishek Sharma, and things don't look good for Afghanistan. Abdollah Ahmadzai joins the attack.

Runs Scored 15 Runs

Score after 6 overs : 100/0

A Sharma76 (22)

S Samson24 (14)

R Khan1-0-15-0

5.66

SIX! 100 UP FOR INDIA! In just 6 overs. This is now India's highest Powerplay score in T20I history. Rashid serves it up there, full on the stumps. Abhishek Sharma moves a bit to the leg side to create room and marvellously launches it inside out over wide long off for a massive six. 15 runs off Rashid's first over.

5.54

FOUR! Effortless batting! Rashid comes from around the stump and dishes out a full ball, on middle, Abhishek makes room for himself, opens the off side and gloriously lofts it over extra cover for a boundary.

5.44

FOUR! Blasted away! Too full on the off stump, Sharma gets on the front foot and absolutely hammers it over wide off for a cracking boundary.

5.30

Slower through the air, fullish on the leg stump, spinning a bit into the batter. Sharma comes forward and tries to whip it across, but plays over the line and is hit on the front thigh pad.

5.21

Pitched full and on off, Sanju creams it to the left of mid off. Ibrahim Zadran moves and dives to his left to cut it off. One run taken.

5.10

Starts with a length ball, quicker through the air, on off. Sanju hops back and bunts it to covers.

Ball-striking at its highest quality from these two. Afghanistan have been left absolutely shell-shocked by this mayhem. We have already been treated to 9 mammoth sixes and we are not even done with the Powerplay. And here's Rashid Khan into the attack, replacing Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Runs Scored 29 Runs

Score after 5 overs : 85/0

A Sharma62 (18)

S Samson23 (12)

M Nabi1-0-29-0

4.66

SIX! That's six number 4 in the over! Mohammad Nabi gives this one some more air, full and on middle and leg. Abhishek Sharma clears his front leg away and smokes it over the long on fence for yet another biggie. 29 runs off Nabi's first over.

4.54

FOUR! Finds the gap! Flatter, short and outside off, Abhishek Sharma uses the width on offer this time and cuts it past point for a boundary.

4.46

SIX! FIFTY FOR ABHISHEK SHARMA! Off just 16 balls. He gets to it in some style as well. Tossed up, full and on middle. Sharma hangs deep inside his crease, uses his bottom hand and pumps it over the bowler once again as the ball goes sailing over for a six.

4.31

DROPPED! The skipper is at fault here! Flighted, full and on middle, Sanju Samson backs away and drills it hard. It flies flat and wide of mid off, where Ibrahim Zadran dives to his right but the ball hits his right wrist and goes down. They cross. Tough chance, but you have to take those against this Indian side.

4.26

SIX MORE! Easy as you like! Nabi comes around the wicket, floats it up, full and on middle. Sanju Samson once again hits it through the line and dispatches it over the bowler's head for half a dozen more.

4.16

SIX! Gets greeted with a boom! Mohammad Nabi drops it a bit short, on middle. Sanju Samson gets enough time to rock back and flat-bats it over the sight screen for a biggie. Ridiculous shot to play, but he made it look easy.

Spin in tandem as Mohammad Nabi replaces Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Runs Scored 11 Runs

Score after 4 overs : 56/0

A Sharma46 (15)

S Samson10 (9)

Ur Rahman1-0-11-0

3.64

FOUR! Up and over! Mujeeb Ur Rahman gives this one some more air, full and just outside off. Abhishek Sharma backs away to make some room and throws his hands at it, slicing it over point for a boundary.

3.50

Flighted, full and on middle, Abhishek Sharma drills it but straight to mid on.

3.41

Dragged back, on middle and leg, Sanju Samson punches it down to long on for a single.

3.36

SIX! Sanju Samson joins the party! Tossed up, full and around middle. Samson clears his front leg away, hits it through the line, launching it over the long on fence for his first biggie. 50 up for India in just 3.3 overs.

3.20

Flatter, full and around off, Sanju Samson drills it wide of point, but the fielder dives to his left to stop it.

3.10

Floated, short and on middle, angling in a bit. Sanju Samson has a swipe across the line but misses and gets hit on the pads.

Time to bring on a spinner? Voila! Mujeeb Ur Rahman replaces Azmatullah Omarzai.

Runs Scored 23 Runs

Score after 3 overs : 45/0

A Sharma42 (13)

S Samson3 (5)

F Farooqi2-0-28-0

2.62

A low full toss, around off, Abhishek Sharma drills it towards sweeper cover for a brace. 23 runs off the over!

2.54

FOUR! A bit streaky this time! Dug into the surface, around off, takes off a bit. Abhishek Sharma tries to withdraw from his pull shot but gets a bit late. It takes the top edge and flies over the keeper's head for four more runs.

2.44

FOUR! Put away! This is just brutal batting. Short of a length and on middle. Abhishek Sharma picks up the length early, rolls his wrists and pulls it with disdain to the deep mid-wicket fence for a boundary.

In the ball before this one, the two umpires had a look at the shape of the ball. Maybe the Afghan players weren't too happy with that. But they have been told to continue for now. To be very fair, we are just 15 balls in the game and the ball has taken some brutal beating already.

2.36

SIX! Number 4 already for Abhishek Sharma! Fazalhaq Farooqi bangs this into the pitch, around leg. Sharma steps across to get inside the line of the ball and hooks it over the fine leg fence for half a dozen more.

2.26

SIX! Best of the lot so far! Fazalhaq Farooqi goes fuller and on middle, angling in a bit. Abhishek Sharma stays deep inside his crease, presents the full face of the bat and tonks it gloriously over the bowler's head for another biggie. Holds the pose for a few seconds as well. He moves to 26 off just 9 balls.

2.11

Back of a length and around leg, Sanju Samson heaves it away to deep square legh for a single.

This is Abhishek Sharma at his very best. 17 runs off the over and India are up and running.

Runs Scored 17 Runs

Score after 2 overs : 22/0

A Sharma20 (8)

S Samson2 (4)

A Omarzai1-0-17-0

1.66

SIX! That is a shot and a half! Azmatullah Omarzai comes around the wicket and digs it into the surface, outside off. Abhishek Sharma uses his feet but stays leg side of the ball. He extends his arms and carves it over the deep point fence for half a dozen more.

1.50

Pitched up, on middle and leg, Abhishek Sharma drills it towards mid on.

1.44

FOUR! Not from the middle, but gets the result! Azmatullah Omarzai hits the length hard, on middle. Abhishek Sharma stands tall and tries to flat-bat it but the ball just gets a bit big on him. He hits it from the upper half of the bat but gets enough to get it over the bowler's head for another boundary.

1.30

Swing and a miss! Short of a length and around off, angling away. Abhishek Sharma backs away and tries to swat it over mid off but misses.

1.26

SIX! BANG! The Abhishek Sharma show has started. Just back of a length but down the leg side. Abhishek stays inside the line of it and just helps it on its way over the fine leg fence for a biggie.

1.11

Azmatullah Omarzai begins with a hard-length delivery, outside off. Sanju Samson reaches out and stabs it out through covers for a single.

A quiet start from the Indians. Farooqi looked disciplined and there was a bit of movement as well. Azmatullah Omarzai will share the attack.

Runs Scored 5 Runs

Score after 1 overs : 5/0

A Sharma4 (3)

S Samson1 (3)

F Farooqi1-0-5-0

0.60

Pitched up again, on off, swinging away, Abhishek Sharma drives it towards extra cover. 5 runs off the first over!

0.54

FOUR! Gets off the mark in style! Fazalhaq Farooqi goes full again and just outside off. Abhishek Sharma gets the chance to free his arms and slams it over extra covers for the first boundary of the game.

0.40

Much fuller and on off, shaping away, Abhishek Sharma knocks it with a straight bat as the ball rolls towards mid off.

0.31

Sanju Samson and India are underway! On a length and around off, Samson opens the bat face and steers it to deep third for a single.

0.20

Back of a length and on middle and off, Sanju Samson gets on top of the bounce and pats it towards mid off.

0.10

Fazalhaq Farooqi starts with a good-length delivery, on middle, shaping in a bit. Sanju Samson stays back and looks to clip it to the leg side but gets an inside edge onto his pads.

Righto, all set for the third and final T20I to get underway in New Delhi. Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja gets the honor of ringing the bell to mark the commencement of the match. The umpires and players have made their way out, with the Afghans taking their respective fielding spots. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson are the two Indian openers strolling confidently to the crease. Fazalhaq Farooqi, who bowled just a solitary over in the previous game, has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Samson is on strike. The umpire commands - 'Let's Play'...

A word from Afghanistan's Head Coach - On how things have been shaping up as coach, Richard Pybus calls the experience a good one overall, admitting that starting his tenure against India has been a tough assignment, but a useful one too, giving him a real benchmark of where Afghanistan stand across formats. He notes the side usually plays a lot of cricket against teams lower down the rankings, so facing world champions on their own turf has been valuable in exposing the key areas that need work. Pybus speaks warmly about the talent he's seen coming through, having caught the one-day tournament and the tail end of the four-day competition with the squad, and says the real challenge now lies in developing that talent properly, with series like this one critical to testing the players against the best. Nobody enjoys losing, he admits, but he sees today as another chance to have a real go at India and show the cricket he believes this side still has in it. He is confident that on any given day, this team is capable of beating anyone, but is candid that Afghanistan simply haven't played their best cricket so far. The side is better than recent performances suggest, in his view, and he is hoping it all clicks tonight, backing his players to turn up and deliver something special.

Unpacking the toss - Well, no Sooryavanshi then, with India opting for continuity in the XI. Yash Thakur does get his opportunity, though. He went for a few runs more than he would have liked in Zimbabwe but still walked away with four wickets from that trip. Meanwhile, for Afghanistan, Noor makes way for his namesake, with Noor ul Rahman all set for his T20I debut. Abdollah Ahmadzai, the seamer, also comes in, playing his first game since the T20 World Cup earlier this year. So, a lot of young blood coming in for the Afghans, who are posing for the photographs before the start of the game.

India (Playing XI) - Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Thakur (In place of Arshdeep Singh).

Afghanistan (Playing XI) - Ibrahim Zadran (C), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Noor ul Rahman (In place of Noor Ahmad and On Debut), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Abdollah Ahmadzai (In place of Gulbadin Naib), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

PITCH REPORT - Sanjay Manjrekar begins by saying India rarely lose the toss in T20s these days, but he sees a silver lining as it gives India a chance to experience something different for once. He then informs that this pitch was used for the first game, and reckons it played better than the previous game. Murali Kartik joins him and notes that it is pitch number six and adds that the square boundaries are much longer. He sees similarities to the pitch of the second game, where dryness helped the spinners and even seamers found something by holding it back of a length with the slower ball. Manjrekar flags a key detail for batters on the pavilion side. Says the leg side boundary opens up relatively longer for a right-hander. He then puts it to Kartik whether Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could have found a spot in the XI on a track like this. To which Kartik admits he had thought the same, but understands the call, with the team management keen on giving continuity and game time to those already in the mix.

The captain of India - Shreyas Iyer says that they would have batted first anyway, calling it a fun challenge. Adds that there is no room for complacency and batting first doesn't mean that they are going to go berserk. Mentions that it is important to stay in the moment and not complicate things. Informs that they have made one change with Yash Thakur coming in for Arshdeep Singh.

The skipper of Afghanistan - Ibrahim Zadran says the wicket looks a bit supportive to the bowlers and hopes they will execute their plans well this time around. Adds that they will look to restrict India to a chaseable score. Admits that they have lost the series but the focus now is to improve in the areas where they have not done well. He credits India as one of the most complete sides in the format, strong across every department, but stresses that Afghanistan's approach will stay simple, giving full effort and playing good cricket rather than overcomplicating things against a team of that quality. Informs that they have a couple of changes for this match, with Noor ul Rahman and Abdollah Ahmadzai coming in for Noor Ahmad and Gulbadin Naib.

TOSS - It's time for one final coin-flip in this series. Both the captains are out in the middle now. The coin lands in favour of Ibrahim Zadran. Afghanistan have elected to BOWL first.

Afghanistan chase a final statement - Afghanistan, meanwhile, have one last opportunity to turn their competitive moments into a complete performance. They have shown flashes with both bat and ball but have struggled to sustain that pressure against a well-rounded India side. The familiar surroundings of the Arun Jaitley Stadium will once again provide the stage, and Afghanistan will hope their batters can set up a strong total while their spinners make an impact in the middle overs. The series may be settled, but there is still one final contest waiting to be won and we are almost ready for the toss and team news.

India look to complete the job - India have looked largely in control across the opening two encounters, producing convincing seven-wicket victories on both occasions. Their batting has clicked when required, while the bowling attack has also managed to keep Afghanistan from building sustained pressure. With the series already in the bag, this could also be another opportunity for the Indian camp to fine-tune combinations and give players a chance to make their mark before the next assignment.

One last battle in Delhi - Welcome to the Arun Jaitley Stadium for the third and final T20I between Afghanistan and India. With India already taking an unassailable 2-0 lead, the series is decided, but there is still plenty to play for in the finale. India will be aiming to put the finishing touches on a dominant series with a clean sweep, while Afghanistan will be desperate to avoid leaving empty-handed and sign off with a victory.

... MATCH DAY ...

Round 3 - After two successive one-sided encounters, New Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium is ready for the series finale, with a desperate Afghanistan side taking on a flamboyant India outfit. The Men in Blue have made light work of a couple of modest chases and currently appear imperious, regardless of the challenge placed before them. Afghanistan, meanwhile, have plenty of introspection to do before stepping out for one final crack. A bleeding inconsistency - Afghanistan’s troubles begin at the top. Rahmanullah Gurbaz has endured a miserable series, failing to score in either innings. Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal have offered fleeting signs of resistance, but neither has stayed long enough to build a meaningful platform. As a result, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan have been forced into repair work far too early. Darwish Rasooli and Gulbadin Naib, meanwhile, have yet to produce the spark Afghanistan need from them. Bowling rejig on the cards? Rashid Khan has been the only consistent threat among Afghanistan’s four frontline spinners, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad are still waiting for their first wickets of the series. Fazalhaq Farooqi, their premier fast bowler, has also been expensive. Afghanistan did hold him back in the previous game, choosing to open with spin in the hope of strangling India early, but the gamble failed to deliver. Despite Naveen-ul-Haq making his comeback, he has still not found a place in the XI, and this just might be that moment he makes it through. There might be a couple of other changes through the order, with Nangeyalia Kharoti and Abdullah Ahmadzai waiting in the wings, but Naveen’s inclusion looks firmly inevitable now. Flying high and handsome - If one word captures India’s batting in this series, it is mayhem. It also paints a brutal picture of the gulf between the two sides with the bat. Abhishek Sharma alone has smashed 11 sixes, almost matching Afghanistan’s entire tally of 12, while India have cleared the ropes 19 times in total in these two matches. Sharma has been batting in overdrive, blazing his way to a staggering strike rate of 237.25 in the series. After a forgettable travels of Zimbabwe, the left-hander has rediscovered his rhythm, range and instinct for mayhem, once again resembling the explosive opener India envisaged. With Samson also finding his mojo back through an eye-pleasing half-century and Ishan Kishan making the number three position his own, it has only added further solidity and thrust to an Indian top order already operating at full throttle. Hunting in a pack - So far, the Indian bowlers haven’t let the Afghan batters get off the hook freely, with fleeting areas where the leakage needs a bit of work. Jasprit Bumrah’s return has been steady and spectacular, with figures of 1/26 and 1/25 across the two matches. He also bowled a maiden in the previous game. Arshdeep Singh has been India’s standout bowler, while Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi have added plenty of craft and control through the middle overs. The sixth-bowling option, a question mark before the series, also appears to have found an answer in Nitish Kumar Reddy, whose superb three-wicket haul strengthened India’s balance further. However, Washington Sundar and Yash Thakur are still waiting for their opportunity. With the series already secured, one or both could be brought into the XI for the finale, giving India the chance to assess their options before the next assignment. Team form (Last 5 completed T20Is, recent first) - IND - WWWWW | AFG -LLWWL. What to expect? India have won the toss on both occasions and have opted to bowl first every time, taking all the benefit of small boundary dimensions with proper batting conditions. But despite this, 200 has been breached on just four occasions at this venue in the first innings, which suggests there is definitely something in it for the new-ball bowlers, and there was a bit of purchase for the spinners in the second match, which was played on pitch number 4. So if Afghanistan's seamers can make the most of the early assistance and their batters can avoid another Powerplay collapse, they may finally be able to apply pressure on a rampant Indian side. Here's hoping this series finale is at least competitive.