INDORE, Jan 14:
Riding on a flurry of mighty maximums, Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed Afghanistan’s bowlers to smithereens on way to swashbuckling half-centuries as India made short work of a 173-run target to win the second T20I by six wickets here on Sunday.
While Yashasvi got out after hammering 68 off 34 balls, including six sixes, Dube ended unbeaten on a 32-ball 63, hitting four maximums in the process.
India completed the chase with 26 balls to spare, taking an unassailable lead in the three-match series.
Gulbadin Naib top-scored with a breezy 35-ball 57 before the lower-order batters Mujeeb Ur Rahman (21 off 9 balls) and Karim Janat (20 off 10) chipped in with useful contributions to lift Afghanistan to 172 all out.
India’s chase began on a eventful note that saw a first-ball boundary by Yashasvi Jaiswal, a loud shout for an lbw and an unsuccessful Afghanistan review, and a first-ball duck for Rohit Sharma.
In his first T20I since November 2022, Virat Kohli began with a lovely boundary before Jaiswal smashed Fazalhaq Farooqi for two sixes.
Recreating the famous shot he played against Haris Rauf in the last T20 World Cup at MCG, Kohli hit a short-of-a-length Naveen-ul-Haq delivery back over the bowler’s head for a four. On that night in Australia though, it was a six.
Having switched ends, Mujeeb leaked 19 runs with Jaiswal collecting three fours and Kohli one.
However, Naveen-ul-Haq cut short Kohli highly promising stay at the crease by having the maestro caught at mid-off for a 16-ball 29.
Asked to bat first, Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz signalled his intent straightaway and flicked Arshdeep Singh (3/32 in 4 overs) for a four through square leg and then tried to hit one straight down the ground, which however did not result in a boundary.
Brief Score:
Afghanistan: 172 all out in 20 overs (Gulbadin Naib 57; Arshdeep Singh 3/32).
India: 173 for 4 in 15.4 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 68, Shivam Dube 63; Karim Janat 2/13). (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
