Sanju Samson answered questions over his place in India’s T20I side with a stunning 22-ball 57 as India defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets in the second T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday.
The victory gave India an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, with the chase effectively settled during a remarkable powerplay. Chasing 160, India raced to 82 without losing a wicket in six overs as Samson and Abhishek Sharma tore into the Afghanistan attack.
Samson was particularly destructive, taking 20 runs off Azmatullah Omarzai in the fifth over with three fours and a six. India then collected another 27 runs in the following over, with Samson adding two sixes and two fours while Abhishek also cleared the boundary.
By the end of the powerplay, India were 82/0, having effectively taken control of the chase. Rashid Khan finally provided Afghanistan with a breakthrough in the seventh over, dismissing both openers. Samson departed for a breathtaking 57 off 22 balls, while Abhishek made 39 off 19.
Rashid struck again in the 11th over to remove captain Shreyas Iyer, but Afghanistan could not build any pressure. Ishan Kishan remained unbeaten on 38 and Tilak Varma on 15 as India reached 163/3 in only 14.5 overs.
Earlier, India had restricted Afghanistan to 159/8 after opting to bowl first. Nitish Kumar Reddy was the standout performer with the ball, claiming 3/24 in three overs.
Arshdeep Singh provided an early breakthrough by removing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck, before Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran steadied Afghanistan’s innings. Reddy then struck with his first delivery to dismiss the Afghanistan captain for 37.
Bishnoi removed Atal for 12 before Reddy dismissed Gulbadin Naib, leaving Afghanistan at 67/3. Further wickets from Axar Patel and Arshdeep reduced them to 105/6 after 15 overs.
Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan briefly revived the innings with a 48-run stand from 28 balls. Nabi made 20 off 14 while Rashid smashed 28 off 16, but Bumrah dismissed Nabi before Reddy removed Rashid in the final over.
India made one change to their XI, bringing in Ravi Bishnoi for Varun Chakravarthy, who was ruled out of the remainder of the series with a side strain.
For Samson, the knock came at a significant moment. After being left out of the Zimbabwe tour, the wicketkeeper-batter made his return to India’s T20I plans and delivered a statement innings when the opportunity arrived.
