New Delhi, September 13 (Daily Kiran) : Afghanistan has set a target of 157 runs for India in the first T20 match played on Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The duo of Azmatullah Umarzai and Mohammad Nabi played pivotal roles in guiding Afghanistan to a competitive score.
Batting first after losing the toss, Afghanistan’s start was dismal. They lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck on just the second ball, leaving the team with only five runs on the board.
Following this early setback, Sediqullah Atal teamed up with captain Ibrahim Zadran. The pair managed to build a partnership of 32 runs for the second wicket off 22 balls. However, Zadran fell for 11 runs off 10 balls, leaving the score at 38.
As the innings progressed, Atal (13), Gulbadin Naib (2), and Darwish Rasooli (2) also fell quickly, leaving Afghanistan in a precarious position at 43 runs. It was then that Mohammad Nabi joined forces with Azmatullah Umarzai, forming a crucial sixth-wicket partnership that yielded 83 runs off 56 balls, helping the team surpass the century mark.
Nabi scored 33 runs off 27 balls, hitting two sixes and two fours before being dismissed. Umarzai, however, remained unbeaten, scoring 64 runs off 44 balls, which included four sixes and four fours.
For India, Arshdeep Singh was the standout bowler, taking three wickets for just 19 runs in four overs. Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy each claimed one wicket.
The playing XI for India included Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakravarthy.
Afghanistan’s lineup featured Ibrahim Zadran (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Umarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
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