India started their tour of Afghanistan with a convincing victory in the first T20I at Mohali on Thursday. The hosts restricted the visitors to 158 for five and then chased down the target with ease in 17.3 overs.
Shivam Dube’s brilliant knock
The star of the show was Shivam Dube, who scored an unbeaten 60 off 40 balls to guide India to the win. He hit six fours and four sixes in his innings and showed great temperament and skill against a quality bowling attack.
Dube was well supported by Jitesh Sharma (31), Tilak Verma (26) and Shubman Gill (23), who all contributed with useful runs. Sharma and Verma added 54 runs for the third wicket, while Gill and Dube added 58 runs for the fourth wicket.
Axar Patel’s economical bowling
The left-arm spinner Axar Patel was the most successful bowler for India, with figures of 2/23 in four overs. He troubled the Afghan batsmen with his variations and accuracy, taking two crucial wickets in his spell.
Mukesh Kumar also chipped in with two wickets, while Mujeev Ur Rahman took one. Mohammad Nabi was the top-scorer for Afghanistan, scoring a brisk 42 off 27 balls to prop up the innings.
India take 1-0 lead
India won the toss and decided to field first. They bowled well as a unit and kept Afghanistan under pressure throughout their innings. They also defended well as batsmen and never gave away any easy runs.
India will be looking to extend their winning streak when they face Afghanistan again on Sunday at Indore. The second T20I will be crucial for both teams as they prepare for the ODI series that follows.
