Hosts Afghanistan went down rather tamely against favourites India as the Men in Blue put in a solid all-round performance to overcome the Afghan challenge with ease, without breaking a sweat. Afghanistan had their moments in the initial phase of the match and towards the end, thanks to a great recovery, but were not consistent enough against the Indians, who showed ruthlessness in the chase. There were glaring errors by the Afghans at crunch moments, and we will try and analyse it for you here.
Losing 5/43 in 7 overs put Afghanistan firmly on the back foot
For starters, Afghanistan lost an important toss and were sent in by India, which is significant looking at the ground history. Thereafter, the hosts lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz early for a silver duck to Jasprit Bumrah. Afghanistan weathered the early storm through captain Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal and put on 33 runs in quick time. But it was the run-out of Ibrahim that turned out to be the defining moment of the game, as a misunderstanding left him high and dry on 10 with the score at 38/2 in 4 overs.
Thereafter, Afghanistan lost wickets at regular intervals as Atal fell soon after to Arshdeep Singh for 13, Gulbadin Naib fell to Axar Patel for a low score, while Darwish Rasooli too fell for a paltry score as Afghanistan went from 38/1 in 3.5 overs to 43/5 in 7 overs. The Afghans lost 4 wickets for 5 runs in 19 balls. This phase really put them on the back foot, from where they had to play catch-up. 4 of those 5 wickets fell in the powerplay, which is quite a lot.
Yes, there was a recovery courtesy of Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi putting on 83 runs for the 6th wicket to bring them back on track, while a 21-run last over meant the Afghans did remarkably well to reach 156. But that total was never going to be enough on that pitch, with batting getting easier by the night. Afghanistan will want the top order to fire and help post a significant score to challenge India going forward. This collapse meant they had to adjust and play within themselves. A better start is the need of the hour.
Conceding 82 runs in the powerplay courtesy of Abhishek Sharma’s blitz sealed the fate of the match
Defending an under-par score of 156 runs, Afghanistan needed early wickets to put the Indian batting under pressure. India came out all guns blazing and added 18 runs in 2 overs with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma at the crease. Samson was removed by Omarzai to give Afghanistan hope. But that was short-lived as the left-handed duo of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan took the game away from Afghanistan in the powerplay and sealed the deal.
Abhishek was back at his blazing best as he scored runs for fun and murdered the Afghanistan bowling. Ishan understood the situation and complemented him as the duo made the match a mere formality by the time the power play ended. It was the Abhishek Sharma show as he dazzled under the lights in New Delhi. The duo eventually added 121 runs in double quick time to seal the fate but dominated in the powerplay as they were 82/1 in 6 overs chasing 157. It meant India needed a mere 75 runs off 84 balls after the powerplay, which was achieved with ease.
It goes without saying that Afghanistan needs to bowl a lot better than they did in the powerplay to make a match out of these matches. Their pacers went the distance and spin was dealt with rather easily. To improve as a nation, Afghanistan has to go back to the drawing board and see how they can improve and compete better against the Indians. Afghanistan has to up their level to compete with India, is what we feel.
A rare off-day from Fazalhaq Farooqi & Rashid Khan did not help Afghanistan’s causeÂ
What did not help Afghanistan was that their key players had a very awful night, which did not help the cause of the team. Key players were taken to the cleaners. One of them was Fazalhaq Farooqi, their spearhead in the pace attack of Afghanistan. Farooqi had a night to forget as he conceded loads of loose balls which were dealt with nicely. He bowled 2 overs at the top and went for 38 runs, which is huge and made it easy for India to win the contest. He is an experienced player and a lot depended on him to give breakthroughs for the hosts, but he disappointed the team.
The wily leg spinner and great Rashid Khan also had a day he would like to forget. Firstly, he came to bat after a long partnership and lost the momentum for his side, scoring just 1 off 10 balls, which affected Afghanistan. He fielded very well, taking good catches in the deep. But with the ball in hand, he went for runs again. He went wicketless and went for 34 runs in 3.4 overs. He looked ineffective, and as one of the senior bowlers, getting hit for runs is unacceptable.
Both Farooqi and Rashid would like to forget this night, prepare well for the next match, and deliver impact performances for Afghanistan. The Afghans can win and beat India, but for that senior players have to step up, stand up, and be counted when the pressure is on. Rashid and Farooqi will look to get their mojo back before the next T20I takes place on Tuesday, 15th September, 2026.
What Lies Ahead
So, India are 1-0 ahead in the 3-match T20I series being played in New Delhi. The Men in Blue will look to seal the series with a game to spare with another clinical win on Tuesday, while Afghanistan will be desperate to work on the areas needing improvement and come back stronger for the second game, which is now a must-win game for Afghanistan.
Let’s see how things unfold in the second match of the 3-match series between Afghanistan and India in New Delhi on Tuesday night.
Also Read: AFG vs IND: Abhishek Sharma’s Deadly Knock Decimates Afghanistan