NEW DELHI — India secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in their three-match T20 international series after defeating Afghanistan by seven wickets in a high-octane encounter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Powered by an explosive batting display from Sanju Samson and a disciplined bowling performance led by Nitish Kumar Reddy, the hosts chased down a 160-run target with more than five overs to spare.
Put in to bat first after losing the toss, Afghanistan struggled to build early momentum against a probing Indian pace attack. Jasprit Bumrah set an immediate tone with a tight opening maiden over, while Arshdeep Singh struck early by removing opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck. Despite a stable knock of 37 from 33 balls by skipper Ibrahim Zadran and a late, aggressive surge from star spinner Rashid Khan—who smashed 28 off 16 deliveries—Afghanistan was restricted to 159/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Nitish Kumar Reddy was the standout performer with the ball for India, claiming a career-best 3/24, effectively neutralizing the middle order whenever the visitors attempted to accelerate.
Chasing 160, India made a flying start as Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma dismantled the Afghan bowling attack in the powerplay. The pair raced to 82 without loss within the first six overs. Samson played a phenomenal, match-winning innings, hammering 57 off just 22 balls at a staggering strike rate of 259.09, laced with seven boundaries and four maximums. Abhishek chipped in a brisk 39 from 19 deliveries. Although Rashid Khan fought back bravely in the middle overs, picking up three wickets—including both openers and Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer—the damage had already been done. Ishan Kishan (38* off 23) and Tilak Varma (15* off 24) comfortably steered India across the finish line, reaching 163/3 in just 14.5 overs.
With the series now safely in hand, both teams will return to the Arun Jaitley Stadium for the final fixture, where India will look to complete a clean sweep.