India’s Shivam Dube performs a shot throughout the second T20 Cricket Match aganst Afghanistan on the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore on Sunday, January 14, 2024.
| Photo Credit: R V Moorthy
Riding on a flurry of mighty maximums, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed Afghanistan’s bowlers to smithereens on method to swashbuckling half-centuries as India made quick work of a 173-run goal to win the second T20I by six wickets right here on Sunday.
While Yashasvi obtained out after hammering 68 off 34 balls, together with six sixes, Dube ended unbeaten on a 32-ball 63, hitting 4 maximums within the course of.
India accomplished the chase with 26 balls to spare, taking an unassailable lead within the three-match sequence.
Gulbadin Naib top-scored with a breezy 35-ball 57 earlier than the lower-order batters Mujeeb Ur Rahman (21 off 9 balls) and Karim Janat (20 off 10) chipped in with helpful contributions to carry Afghanistan to 172 all out.
India’s chase started on a eventful notice that noticed a first-ball boundary by Yashasvi Jaiswal, a loud shout for an lbw and an unsuccessful Afghanistan assessment, and a first-ball duck for Rohit Sharma.
In his first T20I since November 2022, Virat Kohli started with a beautiful boundary earlier than Jaiswal smashed Fazalhaq Farooqi for 2 sixes.
Recreating the well-known shot he performed towards Haris Rauf within the final T20 World Cup at MCG, Kohli hit a short-of-a-length Naveen-ul-Haq supply again over the bowler’s head for a 4. On that evening in Australia although, it was a six.
Having switched ends, Mujeeb leaked 19 runs with Jaiswal gathering three fours and Kohli one.
However, Naveen-ul-Haq minimize quick Kohli extremely promising keep on the crease by having the maestro caught at mid-off for a 16-ball 29.
Unperturbed by the Kohli’s dismissal, the duo of Jaiswal and Dube went about their activity in a brutal method, leaving the Afghan bowlers bruised and battered.
Asked to bat first, Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz signalled his intent straightaway and flicked Arshdeep Singh (3/32 in 4 overs) for a 4 by way of sq. leg after which tried to hit one straight down the bottom, which nevertheless didn’t end in a boundary.
While Arshdeep began the proceedings with two wides on both facet of the wicket, Mukesh Kumar was welcomed with a six over the bowler’s head by Gurbaz, earlier than his opening associate Ibrahim Zadran, having obtained a assessment for lbw in his favour, obtained into the act by lofting one over cowl for a boundary.
Trailing 0-1 within the three-match sequence, Afghanistan raced to 20 for no loss very quickly, forcing Rohit Sharma to introduce spin within the type of Ravi Bishnoi (2/39 in 4 overs).
Leg-spinner Bishnoi, who has a penchant for selecting a wicket in his first over, did an encore as he lured Gurbaz to provide a catch to Shivam Dube at mid-on, having failed to get elevation.
Taking a cue from Gurbaz’s strategy, one-down batter Gulbadin Naib began to play his photographs from the get-go, pulling Mukesh by way of mid-wicket after which driving him by way of for successive fours.
Fresh from a wicket in his very first over, Bishnoi discovered himself on the receiving finish of Gulbadin’s onslaught because the batter pulled a brief ball over deep mid-wicket for a most earlier than hitting back-to-back fours in an 18-run over on the Holkar Stadium.
There was one other bowling change and it paid dividends as left-arm spinner Axar Patel bowled visiting captain Ibrahim Zadran with an attractive flighted supply that turned simply sufficient to beat the batter and hit the stumps.
Azmatullah Omarzai didn’t final lengthy as Dube hit the stumps after the batter went for a cross-batted pull shot and missed.
Axar bowled a cheap eighth over earlier than Gulbadin carted a Dube slower ball into the stands over deep mid-wicket and adopted that by launching a half tracker in direction of the long-on area for one more most.
Promoted to quantity three, Gulbadin introduced up his fifty in 28 balls. There was no respite for Washington Sundar both, as Gulbadin swept the off-spinner for an enormous six over deep mid-wicket.
India’s greatest bowler on the day by a ways, Axar (2/17 in 4 overs) supplied the essential breakthrough when he had Gulbadin caught at mid-wicket by Rohit, having bowled one barely slower than his regular deliveries.
Afghanistan’s innings misplaced momentum after Gulbadin’s departure whilst Bishnoi dismissed Mohammad Nabi.
