Abhishek Sharma smashed a sensational 82 off 32 balls as India chased down 157 against Afghanistan with 38 balls to spare in the first T20I.
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India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the first T20I(Photo: IANS)
Abhishek Sharma played a sensational innings to guide India to a comfortable seven-wicket victory in the first T20I against AfghanistanThe left-hander smashed 82 runs at a strike rate of 256 and helped India chase down the target of 157 with 38 balls to spare at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday.
India have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Abhishek dominates from the start
Abhishek was in complete control throughout his knockHe hit seven fours and seven sixes and brought up his fifty in only 22 ballsAfter Sanju Samson fell early for 10 off eight balls, Abhishek took charge and completely changed the course of the chase.
He shared a massive 121-run partnership for the second wicket with Ishan KishanThe stand came off just 53 ballsIn that partnership, Abhishek scored 76 runs off only 27 deliveries while Kishan contributed 42 off 33 ballsThe pair left the Afghanistan bowlers with no answers.
Abhishek Sharma doing what he does best
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Afghanistan struggle with the bat
Earlier, Afghanistan were asked to bat first and made a poor startJasprit Bumrah struck on the second ball of the match, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duckThe visitors slipped to 43 for five and looked in deep trouble.
Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai then fought back with an 83-run stand for the sixth wicketOmarzai remained unbeaten on 64 off 44 balls with four fours and four sixesNabi made 33Afghanistan finally finished at 156.
Arshdeep Singh was the best bowler for India with three wickets for 19 runsBumrah, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy took one wicket each.
India seal victory in style
Once Abhishek and Kishan got going, the chase never looked difficultAfghanistan’s bowlers, including Fazalhaq Farooqi who conceded 38 runs in just two overs, came under heavy attackIndia reached the target in only 13.4 overs, wrapping up a dominant performance.
Abhishek Sharma will look to continue this form in the remaining games of the series.
