New Delhi: Sanju Samson’s electrifying knock flourished as India delivered another emphatic chase, securing a commanding seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the second T20I to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series on Tuesday, 15 September, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Opting to field first, India restricted Afghanistan to a modest total of 159/8, with Nitish Kumar Reddy leading the bowling attack with an impressive 3/24, despite determined recovery efforts from Ibrahim Zadran (37 off 33) and later Rashid Khan (28 off 16). While chasing, Sanju Samson hammered a blistering 57 off just 22 balls, while Abhishek Sharma produced an aggressive 39 off 19 deliveries as the opening pair stitched together a stunning partnership that put India firmly in control. Their explosive start laid the foundation for India to complete the chase at 163/3 in just 14.5 overs, with 31 balls to spare.
The match began with India winning the toss and electing to field first. Afghanistan endured a difficult start as Jasprit Bumrah opened the innings with a superb maiden over. With that maiden, Bumrah added another significant milestone to his T20I career, as it was his 13th maiden in T20I cricket and helped him become the bowler with the most maiden overs among players from Full Member nations. He moved past Zimbabwe’s Richard Ngarava, who has bowled 12 maiden overs in T20Is. Bumrah, playing his 98th T20I, is now joint-fourth on the overall list of bowlers with the most maiden overs in T20Is. He is also the highest-ranked bowler from a Full Member nation on the list, while the bowlers above him are from Associate nations. The most maiden overs in T20Is are F Nsubuga (Uganda) – 19 maidens in 72 matches, Muhammad Nadir (Rwanda) – 19 maidens in 82 matches, SO Ngoche (Kenya) – 16 maidens in 117 matches, Jasprit Bumrah (India) – 13 maidens in 98 matches, N Senamontree (Thailand) – 13 maidens in 59 matches, Abdul Majid (Bahrain) – 12 maidens in 82 matches, and Richard Ngarava (Zimbabwe) – 12 maidens in 98 matches. Before Arshdeep Singh dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a second consecutive duck in the series, Ibrahim Zadran steadied the innings alongside Sediqullah Atal after the early blow, with the pair adding a 51-run partnership off 40 balls for the second wicket. Ibrahim led the recovery with a composed 37 off 33 balls before Nitish Kumar Reddy struck to dismiss him. Then Ravi Bishnoi dismissed Sediqullah Atal (12 off 15), as Afghanistan suffered a collapse, losing another three wickets to slump to 100/6 inside 15 overs. Despite the setback, Darwish Rasooli provided brief acceleration, scoring 26 off 15 balls before Arshdeep Singh brought his innings to an end. Rashid Khan’s crucial 28 off 16 balls provided Afghanistan with a late recovery alongside Mohammad Nabi (20 off 14), as the pair stitched together a crucial 48-run partnership off 28 balls.
However, Jasprit Bumrah struck to dismiss Nabi before Nitish Kumar Reddy removed Rashid Khan in the final two overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy completed his excellent three-wicket haul for 24 runs, while Noor Ahmad came in and hit a six off the final ball to take Afghanistan to 159/8 at the end of the 20 overs. Reddy claimed three wickets, while Arshdeep Singh took two wickets, and Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi took one wicket each.
To chase 160, India registered a fiery start as the opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma stitched together a stunning 88-run partnership off just 38 balls for the second wicket. The pair raced to their 50-run partnership in only 28 balls, powering India to 82 without loss after the powerplay. Abhishek adopted an aggressive approach in the first couple of overs before Sanju provided an astonishing display of attacking cricket, repeatedly finding the boundaries against the Afghanistan bowling attack. He brought up his stunning half-century in just 20 balls, smashing 57 off 22 balls with seven fours and four sixes at a brilliant strike rate of 259.09. With this spectacular innings, Sanju Samson also completed 1,000 runs as an opener in T20Is. He became only the fifth Indian opener to cross the 1,000-run mark in the format. The elite list of Indian openers with 1,000-plus T20I runs features Rohit Sharma with 3,750 runs (SR: 143.02, Bnd%: 20.33), KL Rahul with 1,826 runs (SR: 136.98, Bnd%: 17.34), Shikhar Dhawan with 1,759 runs (SR: 126.36, Bnd%: 17.31), Abhishek Sharma with 1,726 runs (SR: 191.56, Bnd%: 31.63), and Sanju Samson with 1,026 runs (SR: 181.59, Bnd%: 29.73). Samson has reached the milestone in remarkable fashion, scoring his 1,026 runs at a staggering strike rate of 181.59 — the highest among the five Indian openers on the list — underlining his explosive impact at the top of the order. Rashid Khan came into the attack in the seventh over and made an immediate impact, breaking the explosive partnership by dismissing Abhishek Sharma for an excellent 39 off 19 balls, including two boundaries and four sixes. Just four balls later, he struck again, bringing an end to Sanju Samson’s electrifying innings. India reached 99/2 after seven overs, with massive damage already done, as they remained firmly in control of the chase. Shreyas Iyer joined Ishan Kishan at the crease. Iyer accelerated briefly, hitting Rashid for a six, before Rashid soon dismissed him to complete his three-wicket haul. Tilak Varma then joined Ishan Kishan, with India needing 35 runs for victory. The pair kept the chase firmly on course, rotating the strike effectively and finding boundaries whenever required, while ensuring there was no further loss of wickets. Ishan Kishan took charge in the 14th over, smashing a four, a six, and another four as India wrapped up the chase in emphatic fashion. Ishan Kishan remained unbeaten on 38 off 23 balls, while Tilak Varma finished 15 not out. India reached 163/3 in 14.5 overs, completing the chase with 31 balls to spare. Nitish Kumar Reddy was named Player of the Match after producing an impressive three-wicket spell and playing a crucial role with the ball.
India will face Afghanistan in the third and final match of the series on Thursday, 17 September, at the same venue. With an unassailable 2-0 lead, India will look to finish the series on a high and complete a clean sweep, while Afghanistan will be determined to avoid a series whitewash.
