Abhishek Sharma fires as India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in 1st T20I

India overcame Afghanistan with clinical ease, defeating them by seven wickets as Abhishek Sharma's blistering 82 powered the Shreyas Iyer-led side to a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series on Sunday.

India dominated the first T20I, achieving a decisive seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan. The highlight was Abhishek Sharma, whose explosive 82 runs from 32 balls led the charge against a target of 156 set by Afghanistan, despite their recovery efforts from Omarzai and Nabi. On the bowling side, Arshdeep Singh excelled with 3 wickets for just 19 runs, allowing India to take a lead of 1-0 in this thrilling three-match series.

New Delhi, September 13: India produced a dominant batting display to beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the first T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday.Chasing 157, India raced to 157/3 in just 13.4 overs, with Abhishek Sharma leading the charge. The opener smashed a quickfire half-century to put India firmly in control before the team completed the chase with plenty of overs to spare. He smashed 82 off just 32 balls with 7 sixes and 7 fours.Earlier, Afghanistan were restricted to 156/8 in 20 overs after being sent in to bat. They were in deep trouble at 43/5, but Azmatullah Omarzai played a crucial unbeaten knock of 64 off 44 balls to help Afghanistan reach a competitive total. Mohammad Nabi also contributed 33 during a key partnership with Omarzai.For India, Arshdeep Singh was the standout bowler, taking three wickets for 19 runs. Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy also picked up a wicket each.'Shameful Selection': Fans React As Sanju Samson Fails 'Again' After Vaibhav Sooryavanshi SnubThe match also saw Sanju Samson return to India's playing XI, while 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was left out. Samson, however, could manage only 10 runs from eight balls before being dismissed.The victory gives India a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second T20I will be played at the same venue on September 15.