Yesterday’s T20I clash at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali saw India secure a six-wicket victory over Afghanistan.
In his first T20I appearance for India post the 2022 season, Rohit Sharma had an unremarkable start on Thursday. The seasoned opener, unfortunately, got run out for a two-ball duck in the series opener against Afghanistan. Despite this early setback, India went on to secure a convincing victory over the Afghan team in Mohali.
India took a 1-0 lead against the visitors with a convincing win, and the all-rounder Dube earned the well-deserved title of Player of the Match.
Opting to bowl after winning the toss, the home team effectively limited Afghanistan to 158/5. Axar Patel, the left-arm spinner, played a key role with figures of 2/23 in his four overs. Former captain Mohammad Nabi was the top scorer for Afghanistan, contributing 42 runs off 27 balls.
Afghanistan staged a remarkable comeback after the 10th over, with Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai forming a strong alliance, contributing 68 runs off 43 balls for the fourth wicket. The partnership was disrupted by Nabi Mukesh, who dismissed Omarzai for 29 off 22 and Nabi for 42 off 27 in the same over. Subsequently, Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat displayed a commendable performance, sealing a solid finish for their team.
In the pursuit of 159, Shivam Dube’s stellar performance with an unbeaten 60 runs off 40 balls guided India to victory in just 17.3 overs. The Indian innings didn’t start on a positive note as skipper Rohit Sharma, making his T20I comeback, was run out without scoring. A miscommunication with Shubman Gill led to Rohit being stranded after attempting a single. Expressing his frustration, Rohit had a word with the young Gill before leaving the field. Despite the early setback, Gill played some attacking shots but was eventually stumped for 23 off 12 balls, falling victim to a Mujeeb Ur Rahman googly.
Tilak Varma and Dube provided a significant boost for India with a solid third-wicket partnership of 44. Tilak, scoring 26 off 22, seemed poised for a substantial innings before falling victim to a spectacular catch by Gulbadin Naib at deep backward square. Following this setback, Dube joined forces with Jitesh Sharma, who contributed 31 runs off 20 balls, steering Team India towards a promising path to victory.
Unfortunately, Yashasvi Jaiswal was absent due to a sudden groin injury, leaving a void in the team. Additionally, the lineup missed the presence of Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, and Avesh Khan. Notably, the T20I match marked the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to this format, their last appearance dating back to the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-final against England in November 2022.
