India Vs Afghanistan Highlights, 1st T20I 2026: Abhishek Sharma's Half-Century Powers Men In Blue To Victory

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Ibrahim Zadran is run out for 11 (10) in a mix-up. Tucking Axar Patel wide of deep mid-wicket, Zadran blindly calls for a second run without checking the fielder or the throw; his partner frantically tries to send him back from halfway down the pitch, allowing Ishan Kishan to sprint to his left, fire a pinpoint throw straight onto the stumps, and let Axar Patel finish the job.

Sediqullah Atal falls for a soft 13 (13) inside the powerplay, leaving the batsman in utter disbelief. Attempting to jam out a wide yorker outside off from Arshdeep Singh, Atal opens the bat face and guides the ball straight into the lap of Jasprit Bumrah for a straightforward catch, leaving Afghanistan in deep trouble after losing three quick wickets.

Afghanistan’s Powerplay nightmare deepened as they limped to 41/4 at the end of the six overs, with Gulbadin Naib departing for just 2 off 6 balls. Axar Patel laid the trap perfectly, slowing the pace and floating one wide outside off stump to entice Naib into a premature hit over point. Stretching and out of position, Naib succeeded only in slicing a high leading edge into the night sky. Nitish Reddy tracked back brilliantly, keeping his eyes glued to the ball to haul in a high-pressure running catch.

Crashing to 41/4 in the opening six overs leaves Afghanistan's top order completely gutted, effectively handing India absolute control of the match and forcing the visitors into early damage-control mode.

Darwish Rasooli falls for 2 (6) as Varun Chakaravarthy crashes through his defenses. Tricked by a sharper, skidding delivery that hurried him up, Rasooli got stuck on the back foot when the length demanded a forward press; by the time his bat came down, the ball had already bypassed the edge to flatten the leg-stump, leaving India completely dominant under the Delhi lights.

Azmatullah Omarzai (48 off 36) and Mohammad Nabi (33 off 26) have staged a crucial rescue act for Afghanistan, pushing the score to 126/5 after 16.1 overs. After India’s spinners and pacers tore through the top order to leave the visitors reeling at 79/5, the duo has steadily repaired the innings with sensible rotation of the strike and calculated boundaries, shifting the momentum back toward a competitive total under the Delhi lights.

Arshdeep Singh breaks the vital partnership, cleaning up Mohammad Nabi for 33 (27) with a lethal slower yorker. Deceived by the dip in the blockhole while hanging deep in the crease for a flick, Nabi cops the ball flush on the toe as it ricochets sharply onto the stumps, prompting an immediate, arms-wide celebration from Arshdeep and halting Afghanistan’s late-innings recovery.

Sanju Samson’s eagerly anticipated return to the side is cut short for 10 off 8 balls (including two boundaries) as Azmatullah Omarzai strikes with his very first delivery of the spell. Deceived by a short ball on middle that gripped and held up slightly in the surface, Samson got too early into his pull shot and skied it straight to Darwish Rasooli at deep square leg, who made no mistake with a clean catch—handing Samson a frustrating end to his comeback after being left out of the previous series.

India move comfortably to 90/1 after 7 overs, with Abhishek Sharma charging along on an unbeaten 47 off 18 balls alongside Ishan Kishan (24 off 16). Rashid Khan enters the attack and is greeted straight away by a crisp inside-out boundary over cover from Abhishek, as the left-hander continues his dominant run against the leg-spinner.

Abhishek Sharma’s blistering knock comes to a close for an explosive 82 off 32 balls (7 fours, 7 sixes) as Mohammad Nabi breaks the stand. Tricked by a full toss outside the slot that he miscued off the cue-end toward wide long-on, Abhishek watched Rashid Khan sprint across to his left and slide in to pull off a sharp, well-judged reverse-cup catch—sending the opener back to a standing ovation at the Arun Jaitley Stadium after a defining masterclass. Ishan Kishan also departs for 42 off 33 balls (5 fours, 1 six) as Mohammad Nabi strikes again, handing Rashid Khan his second highlight-reel grab of the night. Smashing a fierce hit toward long-on looking to seal the deal, Kishan watches in disbelief as Rashid plucks it high above his head and executes a tight-rope balancing act just inside the cushions, leaving India a mere blow away from an emphatic victory.

India seal a dominant 7-wicket victory in dramatic fashion as an overthrow off Rashid Khan draws the curtains on the match. Facing a slightly short delivery outside off, Tilak Varma steered it toward backward point and called for a quick single, only to watch the fielder’s wild, errant shy at the bowler’s end sail way off target and race away for an extra run to seal the deal at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

India coasted to a dominant victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, wrapping up the chase inside the 14th over after a clinical all-round performance. Jasprit Bumrah set the tone early by removing Gurbaz in the first over, before India’s spinners strangled the middle overs to leave Afghanistan reeling at 43/5. Though Azmatullah Omarzai launched a stirring counter-rescue alongside Mohammad Nabi to drag the visitors toward respectability—curbed only by Arshdeep Singh’s clever death bowling—the target was never going to be enough. Abhishek Sharma seized the chase by the scruff of the neck with a blistering, all-guns-blazing half-century, ably backed by Ishan Kishan as the duo powered India to 82/1 in the powerplay. Late wickets for Abhishek and Kishan proved mere footnotes as India sealed a comfortable 7-wicket win with time to spare.