India lead the three-match series 2-0. Gulbadin Naib was the most successful batter for Afghanistan as he smashed a 35-ball 57, which had four hits to the fence and four sixes, to take the visitors to 172 all out.
Najibullah Zadran (23), Karim Janat (20) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (21) also chipped in with useful contributions.
In reply, India reached the target in 15.4 overs with Yashasvi Jaiswal hitting a 34-ball 68 and Shivam Dube smashing an unbeaten 63 off 32 balls.
Virat Kohli, who is playing his first T20I after 14 months, played a 16-ball 29-run cameo.
Earlier, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh (3/32) snapped three wickets, while spinners Axar Patel (2/17) and Ravi Bishnoi (2/39) took two each.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (21 off 9 balls) and Karim Janat (20 off 10) chipped in with useful contributions to prop up the innings.
Asked to bat first, Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz signalled his intent straightaway and flicked Arshdeep Singh (3/32 in 4 overs) for a four through square leg and then tried to hit one straight down the ground, which however did not result in a boundary.
Rohit Sharma-led India will look to take an unassailable lead in the series when they take on Afghanistan in the second T20 at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore today. India vs Afghanistan second T20 may decide the winner of the series.
Rohit and Co will be looking for a repeat of their performance in the first T20, while trying to iron out a few kinks in their armour in the last two T20s they will play before the Twenty20 World Cup. Meanwhile, the likes of Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar will be looking to produce some memorable knocks to impress the selectors.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli’s comeback to the Indian team will mean some changes to the line-up to accommodate the veteran batsman.
However, Rohit and Co will do well not to underestimate the threat posed by the Afghan Lions, who have the credentials to beat any team in the world on their day. Despite the loss of their star bowler – Rashid Khan – Afghanistan have plenty of dangerous players in the shape of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi and the rest to trouble the Indian batting.
India and Afghanistan squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar.
Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ikram Alikhil (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Saleem, Qais Ahmad, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score Updates, 2nd T20: Key Highlights
1. Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran began the innings for their team
2. Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar led India’s pace attack
3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz looked dangerous as he slammed some wonderful boundaries against Indian pacers
4. Rohit Sharma acted on the conditions of the pitch and introduced spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who didn’t disappoint and dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz
5. Axar Patel clinched second wicket for India as he dismissed Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran
6. Shivam Dube joins the party as he dismissed Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran
7. Gulbadin Naib slams 50 in T20 internationals after 9 years
8. Axar Patel striked again as he dismissed explosive batter Gulbadin Naib
9. A first-ball duck for Rohit Sharma, his second duck in this series.
10. Naveen-ul-Haq cut short Virat Kohli highly promising stay at the crease by having the maestro caught at mid-off for a 16-ball 29.
11. Yashasvi got out after hammering 68 off 34 balls.
12. Shivam Dube ended unbeaten on a 32-ball 63, hitting four maximums in the process.
13. India completed the chase with 26 balls to spare, taking an unassailable lead in the three-match series.
Catch India vs Afghanistan Live Score Updates here
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Axar Patel awarded Man of the Match
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Axar Patel, who was adjudged the Player of the Match for his two wickets for 17 in four overs, said he tried to vary his length and bowled a bit slower.
“Feels good, I just realised that I have got 200 T20 wickets. But what is important to keep doing well for India, honestly a few years later I won’t remember how many wickets I took,” he said.
“I have been trying to bowl a bit slower, vary my lengths and now I have been to gauge these things better. Now I have the confidence to bowl at all times, even in the powerplay.
“You need to be mentally prepared as a bowler in T20 cricket. Ready to concede a six because that same ball could get you a wicket on another day.
“Earlier, I used to vary my plans if a batter was hitting me, but now I stick to my plans and make the batters take the chance against me.”
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Rohit Sharma heaps praise on batters Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: “It is a great feeling, it has been a long journey starting way back in 2007. I’ve cherished every moment I have spent here. We have been clear with what we wanted to do, very clear message to everyone and when you see a performance like that, you can be really proud. One thing is talking about it, but to actually go there and play that way is a proud feeling. In the last two games, we’ve ticked a lot of boxes,” Rohit Sharma said in a post-match presentation.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: How India scored
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: How India scored
Powerplay (1-6 Overs):-
India- 69/2 (11.5 rpo, 9×4, 3×6)
Middle overs (7-15 Overs):-
India- 102/2 (11.3 rpo, 7×4, 7×6)
Death overs (16-20 Overs):-
India- 2/0 (3.0 rpo, 0x4, 0x6)
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: India win by six wickets
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Fazalhaq Farooqi bowls his fourth over and India win by six wickets with 26 balls to spare. Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube played crucial part in India’s win.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 171/4- 15 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Karim Janat bowls his second over and Rinku Singh hits him for a boundary over the deep mid-wicket region. Seven runs came in this over.
Rinku Singh 8
Shivam Dube 63
Karim Janat 2-0-13-2
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 156/4- 13 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Karim Janat comes to bowl his first over and Shivam Dube continues to pile misery on Afghan bowlers as he hits him for a boundary with a drive. Yashasvi Jaiswal was caught by Gurbaz behind the stumps and he departs at 68 runs. Jitesh Sharma comes in middle and goes without scoring. Two wickets for Karim Janat. Seven runs came in this over.
Jitesh Sharma 0
Shivam Dube 56
Karim Janat 1-0-6-2
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 149/2- 12 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Naveen-ul-Haq bowls his third over and this time Shivam Dube hits him for three boundaries. Fifty for Shivam Dube, his second in this series. 15 runs came in this over
Shivam Dube 50
Yashasvi Jaiswal 68
Naveen-ul-Haq 3-0-33-1
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 134/2- 11 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Noor Ahmad bowls his third over and Yashasvi Jaiswal continues to play his brilliant strokes across the ground. In this over he hits a SIX with a sweep shot after he hits a boundary in the long on region. He ends the over with another SIX playing a sweep shot. 18 runs came in this over.
Yashasvi Jaiswal 68
Shivam Dube 35
Noor Ahmad 3-0-35-0
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 116/2- 10 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Mohammad Nabi bowls his second over and Yashasvi Jaiswal reaches his T20 international fifty. Shivam Dube in a ruthless mood as he hit Nabi for three SIXES. The first one was a lofted on drive, the second one a slog sweep and the third one a lofted on drive. 21 runs came in this over. Shivam Dube’s strike is more than 200 at the moment.
Yashasvi Jaiswal 51
Shivam Dube 34
Mohammad Nabi 2-0-30-0
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 95/2- 9 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Noor Ahmad bowls his second over and Shivam Dube now joins the party as he hits his first SIX down the ground with a lofted off drive shot.11 runs came in this over.
Shivam Dube 15
Noor Ahmad 2-0-17-0
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 84/2- 8 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Mohammad Nabi bowls his first over and Yashasvi Jaiswal who was quick on his feet hits a SIX with a aggressive lofted straight drive. Jaiswal striking at more than 200 at the moment. Couple of dot balls to end the over. Nine runs came in this over.
Yashasvi Jaiswal 47
Shivam Dube 7
Mohammad Nabi 1-0-9-0
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 75/2- 7 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Noor Ahmad bowls his first over. A decent over by him. Just six runs came in this over.
Shivam Dube 5
Yashasvi Jaiswal 40
Noor Ahmad 1-0-6-0
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 69/2- 6 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Naveen-ul-Haq comes to bowl his second over and gets the wicket of Virat Kohli who was caught by Ibrahim Zadran at mid-off. Meanwhile Yashasvi Jaiswal hits a SIX with a lofted off drive for maximum. 11 runs came in this over and India lost the wicket of Virat Kohli. Shivam Dube comes in the middle.
Yashasvi Jaiswal 39
Shivam Dube 1
Naveen-ul-Haq 2-0-18-1
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 58/1- 5 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Mujeeb Ur Rahman bowls his second over and Virat Kohli hits him for a boundary of the first ball through a brilliant cover drive. Yashasvi Jaiswal joins the party and also hits a boundary with an exquisite cover drive and folllowing it up with another boundary this time with a cut shot. Mujeeb under pressure. Jaiswal makes it 3 as he hits another boundary with a lofted off drive for four runs. 19 runs came in this over.
Yashasvi Jaiswal 33
Virat Kohli 25
Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2-0-32-0
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 39/1- 4 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Naveen-ul-Haq bowls his first over and Virat Kohli hits a boundary with a lofted straight shot on the front foot. Seven runs came in this over.
Yashasvi Jaiswal 21
Virat Kohli 18
Naveen-ul-Haq 1-0-7-0
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 32/1- 3 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Fazalhaq Farooqi bowls his second over and Yashasvi Jaiswal looks to attack him as he hits him for a couple of SIXES. The first one was a lofted on drive and the second one which went further was hit in the deep mid-wicket region.
Virat Kohli12
Yashasvi Jaiswal 20
Fazalhaq Farooqi 2-0-19-1
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 18/1- 2 Overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Mujeeb Ur Rahman bowls the second over as Virat Kohli hits him for a boundary with a brilliant cover drive. A second boundary hit by Viirat Kohli with a slog sweep hit. 13 runs came in this over.
Virat Kohli 11
Yashasvi Jaiswal 7
Mujeeb Ur Rahman 1-0-13-0
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: IND 5/1- 1 Over, Rohit departs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma open India’s innings. Fazalhaq Farooqi bowls th efirst over for Afghanistan. Yashasvi Jaiswal hits a boundary in the first delivery by playing an exquisite square drive. Farooqi strikes as he clean-bowled Rohit Sharma for duck, his second in the series. A wicket and five runs came in this over. Virat Kohli comes in the middle to join Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Virat Kohli 0
Yashasvi Jaiswal 5
Fazalhaq Farooqi 1-0-5-1
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: India need 173 runs to seal T20 series
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: The final over was eventful as Afghanistan lost 4 wickets and the team is all out on the score of 172 runs. Pacer Arshdeep Singh clinched 3 wickets while spinner Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi clinched two wickets each to provide Team India with some important breakthrough.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: AFG scores 164/6 in 19 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Expensive over by Shivam Dube as Rohit Sharma took some risk to give a death over to young bowler. Afghanistan is catching up with a high score and the team is hoping to cross in the final over of the innings.
Afghanistan
Karim Janat 20
Mujeeb Ur Rahman 16
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Arshdeep Singh grabs Najibullah Zadran’s wicket
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma introduced back the pacers and Arshdeep Singh clinched wicket on the first ball as he dimissed Najibullah Zadran, who slammed back-to-back boundaries in the last over of Ravi Bishnoi. Afghanistan is moving to the tail-end batters now and their score is no way near satisfactory.
Afghanistan scores 134/6 in 17.3 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: AFG scores 134/5 in 17 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Great thing about Afghanistan cricket team is that despite losing wickets regularly, the team is not changing its intent and continue to slam boundaries to boost the run rate of the team. Ravi Bishnoi’s use of pace is providing batters with some extra leverage to score big shots.
Afghanistan
Najibullah Zadran 23
Karim Janat 7
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Ravi Bishnoi strikes again; Mohammad Nabi OUT
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Spinner Ravi Bishnoi clinched 2nd wicket today as he dismissed experienced Afghanistan batter Mohammad Nabi. The batter was under pressure as runs were not coming, and tried a big shot across the long on, but Rinku Singh was standing just below the ball.
Afghanistan scores 105/5 in 14.3 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Axar Patel completes 200 wickets in T20 cricket
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: India’s spinner Axar Patel completed his 200 wickets with 2 wickets coming from today’s macth. The player has turned out to be a reliable option for team India is going to be crucial during T20 World Cup in June this year.
Afghanistan scores 103/4 in 14 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Wicket!!! Gulbadin Naib OUT
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Axar Patel striked again and this time he caught the big fish as explosive batter Gulbadin Naib is walking back to the pavilion after slamming a stunning half-century. Najibullah Zadran is the new batter on crease and Afghanistan needs to re-build a partnership from here
Afghanistan scores 92/4 in 11.5 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Gulbadin Naib slams 50
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Gulbadin Naib slammed his half-century in just 28 balls and batter is hitting some amazing boundaries against dangerous Indian bowlers. India needs his wicket soon if they want to restrict the team on a low score.
Afghanistan score 81/3 in 10 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Gulbadin Naib continues to slam boundaries
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: What a stunning SIX from Gulbadin Naib and he continues to go for boundaries even as Afghanistan continues to lose wickets. Virat Kohli attempted a difficult catch against Gulbadin, but unfortunately dropped it and the run machine continues.
Afghanistan
Gulbadin Naib 48
Mohammad Nabi 2
AFG scores 77/3 in 9 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Wicket!!! Azmatullah Omarzai OUT
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: After delivering a stunning performance in the 1st T20, Shivam Dube continues to dominate in Indore as he dismissed Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai in a brutal runout. Afghanistan batters are slamming frequent boundaries but continue to lose wickets.
Afghanistan scores 60/3 in 7 overs.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Wicket!!! Ibrahim Zadran OUT
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Smart bowling by spinner Axar Patel, who confused Ibrahim Zadran and dismissed the Afghanistan skipper and provided Team India with second wicket today. Gulbadin Naib continues to dominate and the game is changing with every bowl.
Afghanistan scores 58/2 in 6 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Gulbadin Naib dominates
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Afghanistan’s Gulbadin Naib is dominating Indian bowlers as he slammed back-to-back three boundaries against spinner Ravi Bishnoi. Afghanistan batters are capitalizing on the batting conditions and looking to create a high score against India.
Afghanistan
Ibrahim Zadran 7
Gulbadin Naib 26
AFG scores 50/1 in 5 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: AFG scores 32/1 in 4 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Gulbadin Naib is looking like he came to the ground already settled as he slammed two beautiful boundaries against pacer Mukesh Kumar. The Indian seamer understood the batter and changed his line in the over to restrict the batter.
Afghanistan
Ibrahim Zadran 6
Gulbadin Naib 10
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Wicket!!! Rahmanullah Gurbaz OUT
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Spinner Ravi Bishnoi was wicketless in the first T20 against Afghanistan, but clinched a wicket on his second ball this time as he dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who was looking dangerous today.
Afghanistan scores 20/1 in 2.3 overs.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Gurbaz’s stunning SIX against Mukesh
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Pacer Mukesh Kumar is continuing the attack from the other end and Rahmanullah Gurbaz seems fearless as he slammed a massive SIX against the pacer. Mukesh Kumar made a strong comeback as he restricted the batters for next 3 balls. India lost its first DRS in the second over as Mukesh Kumar unsuccessfully appealed against Ibrahim Zadran.
Afghanistan
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Ibrahim Zadran
Afghanistan scores 20/0 in 2 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: AFG scores 9/0 in 1 overs
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Pacer Arshdeep Singh begins with 2 wide balls and Rahmanullah Gurbaz strikes a beautiful FOUR on the first legal ball of the match. Arshdeep Singh recovered back with better line and length, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz cleared his intentions to go big against India.
Afghanistan
Rahmanullah Gurbaz 7
Ibrahim Zadran 0
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Afghanistan openers on crease
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are on the crease and pacer Arshdeep Singh is leading India’s bowling attack. The Indian pacers will look to clinch some early wickets to increase pressure on Afghanistan.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Afghanistan playing XI
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: India’s final playing XI
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Changes in squad
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: As expected Virat Kohli is making a comeback in the Indian squad and is expected to replace Tilak Varma on number 3. Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal will also play today in the place of Shubman Gill, who opened with Rohit Sharma in the first T20.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: India to bowl first
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl first, which was a expected decision as dew factor plays a role on the grounds of Indore. Rohit Sharma said there is no specific reason for choosing to bowl first and he wants to restrict Afghanistan on a low score.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Toss soon
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: The toss is just minutes away and Rohit Sharma, Ibrahim Zadran are expected to enter the grounds soon. The dew factor will play a major role in today’s match and India will to chase if Rohit Sharma wins the toss.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: All eyes on Virat Kohli
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: The toss is just 15 minutes away and Virat Kohli can be seen warming up on the ground. India’s former batter Suresh Raina believes that when it comes to understanding of cricket, Virat Kohli is the best player in the world.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Weather in Indore
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: There is no chances of rainfall in Indore during the match hours and the temperature is expected to remain approximately at 22 degrees Celsius during the entirety of the match, possibly dropping to 17 degrees by the end of the game.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Toss at 6:30
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: The toss for the second T20 between India and Afghanistan is less than an hour away. India’s star batter Virat Kohli is making a comeback in the T20 format of cricket after 14 months and is expected to begin it on an explosive note.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: India’s expected playing XI
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Mukesh Kumar, Arshdeep Singh.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Pitch report from Indore
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Holkar Cricket Stadium’s pitch is known to favour the batters and is considered to be a paradise for them. The boundaries being shorter and the flat pitches help batters to score more. So the team winning the toss should bat first.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Head-to-head
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Before this T20I match, both India and Afghanistan faced each other three times in the T20 World Cups once in the Asia Cup, and once in the previous bilateral series. India have won all five matches.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Yuvraj Singh praises Rohit Sharma ahead of the second T20
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: “I can say Rohit has been a great captain he’s got five IPL trophies, he took us to the (World Cup) final. He has been one of our great captains of IPL and India. We have to manage his workload,” Yuvraj said. “I don’t know what’s the situation with Hardik’s fitness at the moment. That is selectors’ call.”
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: The Ashwin factor
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the most loved spinners in the Indian cricket team. Apart from his stunning tricks with the ball, the spinner is known for his presence of mind on the field, which helped Team India win several matches. While the player continues to do great in the Test format of the game, he is not getting many chances in the T20 and ODI formats of cricket. Former Indian star Yuvraj Singh shared some strong views on Ravichandran Ashwin and said the spinner doesn’t deserve a place in white-ball format.
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Key things to look forward to
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: The Indian selectors have gone for the status quo rather than addressing the elephant in the room by picking Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for their first T20 series in 14 months against Afghanistan which starts from 11 January
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: Former India player speaks on Virat Kohli’s return
India vs Afghanistan Live Score: “If you see the entire World Cup, Virat Kohli has a playing style and he scores a lot of runs when he follows that template. Even in T20s, he rarely starts hitting fours and sixes from the first ball. He takes his time. If he has to run at a strike rate of 150, he does that in the powerplay,” former player Akash Chopra on Virat Kohli’s return.
“In New York or the West Indies, the pitches will be such that there will be more chances of runs getting scored in the first six overs. So ideally, you want Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to be together from the start. If you have to follow that template, start it now,” he added.
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