India defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets in the first-ever T20I between the two sides hosted in India, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on September
13. Indian captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to field first.
Afghanistan posted 156/8 in their 20 overs after losing multiple wickets at regular intervals early in their innings. Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai then steadied the innings with a terrific 83-run partnership off 56 balls for the sixth wicket. Omarzai top-scored with 64 off 44 balls, smashing four boundaries and as many sixes. For India, Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with impressive figures of 3/19 in his four overs.
In reply, the Men in Blue chased down the target comfortably in just 13.4 overs, finishing on 160/3. Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan put together a match-winning 121-run partnership off 53 balls for the second wicket. Abhishek was particularly dominant, smashing 82 off just 32 balls to take the game away from Afghanistan. For Afghanistan, Nabi was the most successful bowler, claiming 2/28 in his three overs.
Top batting performance — Abhishek Sharma
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰, 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐥! 🌪️
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 13, 2026
Relive the clean striking, fearless intent and breathtaking strokeplay from Abhishek Sharma’s whirlwind innings.
Watch #AFGvIND 1st T20I, LIVE NOW on Sony Sports Ten 5 & Sony MAX.#SonySportsNetwork #SonyMAX pic.twitter.com/GekYBZxsKg
𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆. 🤌💥
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 13, 2026
When Abhishek Sharma gets going, the bat does the talking. 🔥
Watch #AFGvIND 1st T20I, LIVE NOW on Sony Sports Ten 5 & Sony MAX.#SonySportsNetwork #SonyMAX #ExtraaaInnings pic.twitter.com/aLu13MB9JF
Indian opener Abhishek Sharma was the standout batting performer of the match. The left-handed batter smashed 82 off just 32 balls, including seven fours and seven sixes, at a staggering strike rate of 256.25. Abhishek completely dominated the Afghanistan bowlers and took the game away from them with his aggressive strokeplay. He also played a key role in India’s comfortable chase, forming a century partnership with Ishan Kishan for the second wicket.
Best bowling spell — Arshdeep Singh
𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐀𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩! 🔥
Rashid Khan looks to go big, but Axar Patel covers plenty of ground to complete the catch.
Watch #AFGvIND 1st T20I, LIVE NOW on Sony Sports Ten 5 & Sony MAX.#SonySportsNetwork #SonyMAX #ExtraaaInnings pic.twitter.com/YJRAg1LgON— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 13, 2026
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh delivered the best bowling spell of the match, returning impressive figures of 3/19 in his four overs. He played a crucial role in restricting Afghanistan by dismissing Sediqullah Atal, Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan.
Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved
- 121 off 53 balls – Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan’s partnership came at a remarkable rate of 13.70 runs per over, making it the highest-ever 100-plus partnership against Afghanistan in T20Is.
- 234.88 strike rate – Abhishek Sharma’s strike rate against Rashid Khan in T20 cricket is the highest among the 113 batters who have faced at least 30 balls from the leg-spinner in matches where ball-by-ball data is available. Abhishek has scored 101 runs off 43 balls against him.
- India reached the 100-run mark in 8.2 overs, the third-fastest they have done so against Afghanistan in T20Is.
- Abhishek Sharma registered his 14th fifty-plus score in T20Is, with 12 of those coming off 25 balls or fewer. No other batter has reached the milestone in 25 balls or fewer as many times, with Suryakumar Yadav next on nine occasions.
- Abhishek has scored 166 runs from 85 balls when stepping down the track against seamers in T20 cricket, striking at 195.29. Since July 2024, no other batter has scored 100-plus runs in this manner.
- Abhishek Sharma is the second-fastest batter to reach 6,000 T20 runs, taking 3,420 balls to achieve the milestone.
- Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi’s 83-run partnership is Afghanistan’s second-highest sixth-wicket stand in T20Is.
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz now has 11 ducks as an opener in T20Is, the second-most among batters from Full Member nations.
- Jasprit Bumrah reached 350 wickets in T20 cricket, becoming only the third Indian bowler to achieve the milestone after Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Who won the Player of the Match?
Abhishek Sharma was named the Player of the Match for his explosive knock of 82 runs. In the process, the left-handed batter broke multiple records with his dominant performance.
When is the next match?
Afghanistan will take on India in the second T20I of the three-match series on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. India currently lead the series 1-0 after securing a comfortable victory in the opening game.
