Under heavy evening clouds and thick Delhi humidity, Afghanistan finally got the toss they wanted. Ibrahim Zadran pointed to the pitch, chose to bowl, and backed his attack to find some early help in the third and final T20I at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
For a brief moment, it looked like a sound call. Fazalhaq Farooqi’s first over went for just five, the ball nipping a touch, Sanju Samson inside-edging onto his body, Abhishek Sharma feeling his way in. It was watchful, almost subdued.
That didn’t last.
A powerplay storm named Abhishek
Azmatullah Omarzai’s first over flipped the night on its head. Samson took a single, and Abhishek went to work. A swivelled six over deep square leg. A sliced four down the ground. Another towering hit over deep extra cover. India were 22 without loss after two overs, and the tone had changed.
Farooqi returned and was torn apart. Samson rotated strike; Abhishek dismantled lines and lengths. A straight six down the ground, a pick-up over fine leg, a pull past deep square, then a top-edged four that still cleared the infield. Twenty-three from the over. India 45 for no loss after three. Afghanistan’s early “support for the bowlers” had evaporated.
Mujeeb ur Rahman tried to slow things down with his first over. Samson misread one, then launched the next ball straight back over his head. Abhishek carved four over cover point. Eleven runs, and India 56 without loss after four.
The real damage came when Mohammad Nabi entered. Samson greeted him with back-to-back sixes, then survived a simple chance at mid-off as Zadran put him down. The drop brought up 9,000 T20 runs for Samson; it also opened the door for Abhishek to go berserk. A six over long-on to raise a 50, a cut for four, and another clean strike over the ropes. Twenty-nine off the over. After five, India were 85 without loss and surging.
Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s trump card, couldn’t halt the tide either. His first over went for 15. Abhishek, already in a different gear, hammered him through extra cover twice and then launched him over sweeper for six. India brought up their hundred inside the powerplay: 100 for 0 after six overs, Abhishek 76 off 22, Samson content to play second fiddle.
History in 30 balls
Abdullah Ahmadzai’s introduction offered a brief breather, nine runs and a few dots, but by then the crowd knew what was coming. The ball kept disappearing. Mujeeb’s second over disappeared for 15 as Abhishek climbed into a short ball over long-on and then drilled another straight six. He raced into the 90s, 93 off 28 by the end of the eighth.
Ahmadzai returned for the ninth. Samson took a single. Abhishek launched another six to move to 99, then eased a push down the ground to reach his hundred in just 30 balls. It was his third T20I century and the fastest ever by a batter from a Full Member nation. Helmet off, he dropped into a meditation pose in the middle of a roaring Arun Jaitley Stadium, a moment of stillness amid the chaos he had created.
By the end of the ninth over, India were 134 without loss. Afghanistan’s decision to chase now looked like a trap they had set for themselves.
Rashid hits back, but India keep rolling
Rashid finally found a way through. Abhishek started the tenth over by depositing him over long-on for six, then worked a single to deep mid-wicket. Samson added one. On 108 from 33, Abhishek chased a wide googly, looking to clear extra cover again. The thick outside edge carried to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who made no mistake.
Abhishek reviewed, more out of hope than conviction. UltraEdge showed a clear spike. His innings ended at 108 off 34 balls, laced with nine fours and 11 sixes. India were 142 for 1 with a ball to go before drinks, the platform towering.
Mujeeb’s third over saw Samson step back and launch him over long-off, then milk singles with Tilak Varma. Ten runs, India 152 for 1 after 11, the innings still humming.
Rashid then turned the screws again. Tilak nudged to the left of the bowler and hesitated; Rashid pounced, gathered, and hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end with a direct hit. Tilak was gone for 2 off 5. Shreyas Iyer walked in, worked a single to long-off, and watched Samson collect a couple of hard-run singles. Only three runs came from the over. India 155 for 2 after 12, the first real lull of the night.
Samson snapped out of it quickly. He stepped leg side to Mujeeb, drilled him straight back for four, then flicked to deep mid-wicket. Iyer worked the gaps, and Samson moved calmly to a 34-ball half-century, his second in as many games. Nine runs from Mujeeb’s final over took India to 164 for 2 after 13, with Samson on 50 and Iyer settling on 4.
Selection calls and stakes beyond the scoreline
All this came after India, already 2–0 up in the series, tweaked their attack but left the batting order untouched. Yash Thakur replaced Arshdeep Singh, joining Jasprit Bumrah in the pace unit. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had to wait again. Varun Chakaravarthy’s earlier withdrawal meant Ravi Bishnoi kept his place, with Nitish Kumar Reddy offering another seam option.
Shreyas Iyer had wanted exactly this scenario. He said at the toss that India would have batted first anyway, chasing “a fun challenge” of setting a total instead of reeling in another target. His top order delivered that challenge in the most emphatic way possible.
Afghanistan made two changes of their own. Noor Rahman and Abdullah Ahmadzai came in, Gulbadin Naib and Noor Ahmad stepped out. Zadran expected some early movement, hoped his bowlers would exploit it, and then give his misfiring top order a more manageable chase.
Instead, his attack ran into a left-hander batting like a man in fast-forward.
Pressure on Afghanistan’s fragile top order
The chase, when it comes, will test an Afghan batting unit that has repeatedly stumbled in this series. In the opener, they slumped to 43 for 5 before Azmatullah Omarzai’s 64 dragged them to respectability. In the second match, Zadran’s 37 and late blows from Nabi and Rashid pushed them to 159, still not enough.
Now they face a far steeper climb. Gurbaz, with a strike rate of just 37.50 against Bumrah and back-to-back ducks in the series, walks into a familiar storm. Zadran and Sediqullah Atal must find a way to hold the innings together, or the middle order will once again be left to pick up pieces instead of chasing a total.
India, meanwhile, have every weapon lined up. Bumrah with the new ball, Bishnoi in the middle overs, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube offering variety, and Yash Thakur eager to justify his inclusion. The pitch has already shown it has runs in it. Any early help for the bowlers will vanish quickly under lights.
Afghanistan wanted to chase. They got their wish. Now they must hunt down a total built on one of the most brutal T20 innings India have seen in recent years.
With the Asian Games looming and spots still being argued over in team meetings, nights like this shape careers. Abhishek Sharma has made his statement. Can Afghanistan’s batters find one of their own?
