That's it from our coverage of the series opener between hosts Afghanistan and India from the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Ninaad Dixit here signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Ajay Pal Singh, scorer/analyst Manish Bishnoi and statistician Aman. Stay tuned for more cricketing action from around the world.
The series continues on Tuesday, 15th September! Same venue, same time!
A tough outing for the Afghan Atalan in the series opener against India. Lots to mull over for the top and middle order and the bowling attack. Team India will have a lots of positives but need to sort their 5th bowling option in the format. Abhishek, Reddy and Dube coming together in an expensive spell tonight.
Shreyas Iyer (India Captain): [on captaincy] "Everyone worked in synergy towards the success. Bumrah is a great asset to the team and giving that start, creating the momentum. Arshdeep also bowled brilliantly, followed by Axar and Varun. The way they bowled was a phenomenal effort.
[on the last Dube over] There was no choice and you saw that. It was unfair for Dube as well, coming in for the 20th over and not able to gauge the pace of the wicket and how the ball will go on. It's absolutely fine. I'm sure he will go and analyze what areas he needs to work on.
[on Kishan] Starting with Abhishek, the shots he played were flawless and exemplary. Talking about Ishan, he's been on a great form currently. The way he's been portraying himself in the dressing room and on the ground during practice sessions, he is relaxed, very calm and knows his game."
Ibrahim Zadran (Afghanistan Captain): [on their batting] "We didn't get the result we wanted. We gave them back-to-back wickets and they put pressure on us. We batted well in the middle overs but we didn't put lots of runs on the board. Their bowlers and fielders did really well. The Ishan Kishan run out was the turning point. He grabbed the ball and threw it to the bowler. They are the best fielding side. Gurbaz didn't have his day. He will come back stronger, we expect that from him."
Most Player of the Match Awards in T20Is Since Abhishek Sharma’s Debut (Full-Member Nations):
7 - Brian Bennett (Zimbabwe)
7 - Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)
6 - Sahibzada Farhan (Pakistan)
6 - Abhishek Sharma (India)*
Abhishek Sharma (Player of the Match): [on his fielding and batting performance] "Getting catch in the first over in the slips gets you more confident. That's how we started the innings today so very happy with that.
[on expecting catches when Bumrah bowls] Even when we face him in the nets, it's like we are playing first few overs of Test cricket. We are always on our toes in slips for him.
[on consistency] 2 years back we decided to play in a certain way, to dominate all teams before the World Cup. Things went pretty well but 1 or 2 series won't define our team as a batting unit. It is always team first. If you are chasing 150-160, a good start always gets you ahead."
Player of the Match: Abhishek Sharma
Biggest Defeats for Afghanistan in T20Is as a Full Member (by Balls Remaining): 67 vs South Africa, Tarouba, 2024 (T - 57) 38 vs India, Delhi, 2026 (T-157), Tonight* 26 vs India, Indore, 2024 (T-173)
Most Matches Won Against a Team Without Any Defeat in Men's Internationals: 17 – India vs Afghanistan* 13 – New Zealand vs Ireland 13 – Uganda vs Nigeria