India defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets with 38 balls to spare in the first T20I at Delhi on September 13, 2026. Afghanistan scored 156 for eight wickets in their 20 overs. The convincing victory gave India a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
This was Shreyas Iyer's first outing as India's captain in the T20I format at home. Aakash Chopra raised concerns about India's fifth-bowler strategy and Iyer's captaincy decisions in the match. Chopra pointed out that the combined effort of the fifth bowlers
had been costly, with Nitish Kumar Reddy taking 0 for 30 in two overs, Abhishek Sharma taking 0 for 8 in one over, and Shivam Dube taking 0 for 21 in one over. The four overs bowled by these fifth bowlers yielded 59 runs overall, averaging almost 15 runs per over.
"A slight flaw is being seen in India's T20 cricket, and probably Shreyas Iyer's tactic is also being seen. Since Hardik isn't there, who is the fifth bowler? You got Nitish Kumar Reddy to bowl, made Abhishek Sharma bowl an over, and you made Shivam Dube bowl an over, but that Shivam Dube over was the 20th over," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Why Dube's final over became costly
Chopra's primary concern centred on the decision to assign Dube the final over of Afghanistan's innings. The former India opener explained that bowling a part-time player in the death overs typically results in expensive runs conceded. Dube's 20th over proved costly, leaking 21 runs and exemplifying the broader fifth-bowler problem.
"If you are going to give him the 20th over, he will get hit, and it happened here as well - 21 runs. In fact, our fifth bowler conceded 59 runs in four overs. If your fifth bowler is conceding 15 an over, this is a potential problem. Half the things get sorted out as soon as Hardik comes. However, Shreyas Iyer holding an over back until the last over - we will find out over a period of time how good that tactic is, but there is a slight problem for sure," Chopra said.
Also Read: 'Sanju Samson doesn't help his own cause' - Sanjay Manjrekar after opener's poor show in 1st T20I vs Afghanistan
The absence of Hardik Pandya was cited as a contributing factor to India's fifth-bowler difficulties. Pandya's presence would have provided a reliable bowling option in the death overs, reducing the burden on part-time bowlers. The series continues with two more matches remaining between the two teams.
