IND Vs AFG 1st T20I: Abhishek Sharma Leads Chase As India Crush Afghanistan By 7 Wickets

New Delhi, September 13: India produced a dominant batting display to beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the first T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.

Chasing 157, India raced to 157/3 in just 13.4 overs, with Abhishek Sharma leading the charge. The opener smashed a quickfire half-century to put India firmly in control before the team completed the chase with plenty of overs to spare. He smashed 82 off just 32 balls with 7 sixes and 7 fours.

Earlier, Afghanistan were restricted to 156/8 in 20 overs after being sent in to bat. They were in deep trouble at 43/5, but Azmatullah Omarzai played a crucial unbeaten knock of 64 off 44 balls to help Afghanistan reach a competitive total. Mohammad Nabi also contributed 33 during a key partnership with Omarzai.

For India, Arshdeep Singh was the standout bowler, taking three wickets for 19 runs. Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy also picked up a wicket each.

The match also saw Sanju Samson return to India's playing XI, while 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was left out. Samson, however, could manage only 10 runs from eight balls before being dismissed.

The victory gives India a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second T20I will be played at the same venue on September 15.