India Vs Afghanistan LIVE Score, 1st T20I 2026: Gurbaz Departs In First Over, Bumrah Strikes | AFG - 18/1 (2)

Jasprit Bumrah strikes in his very first over, removing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck (0 off 2 balls). Surprised by the extra bounce on a back-of-a-length delivery, Gurbaz tried to keep it down with an open bat face, instead guiding it sharply to the right of Abhishek Sharma, who completed a clean catch with a smart dive.

India: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy

Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi

India have won the toss and have opted to bowl first.

Both teams enter the opener searching for steady footing after choppy recent form. Afghanistan look to carry momentum from a 4-0 ODI series sweep over Ireland—wiping away the memory of earlier defeats on Indian soil—while the hosts aim to build on a 3-0 win in Zimbabwe to steady a campaign shaken by setbacks against Ireland and England. Historical precedent heavily favors the hosts, with India having claimed eight victories across their nine previous T20I encounters.

Following a turbulent post-World Cup stretch under new captain Shreyas Iyer, a transitioning Indian side returns home to the Arun Jaitley Stadium—where Iyer famously orchestrated a record 265-run chase earlier in the IPL—to host a dangerous Afghanistan outfit. While India maintains an unblemished head-to-head record against the visitors, this three-match series serves as a vital proving ground for Iyer’s squad to shift from experimental lineups to a settled strategy just ahead of the Asian Games, facing an experienced Afghanistan side under Ibrahim Zadran that has repeatedly proven capable of pushing the world champions to the brink.

The India vs Afghanistan T20I series will be live-streamed digitally on the FanCode app and website in India, while the live television telecast will be available on the Sony Sports Network, specifically on Sony Sports Ten 5 (in English) as well as Sony Sports Ten 3 and Sony Sports Ten 4 (for regional language feeds), alongside free-to-air coverage on DD Sports.

Hello, we are back with another live blog, and it is India Vs Afghanistan in the 1st T20I. Stay tuned for all the live updates.