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India vs Afghanistan 3rd T20 Live Score: IND beat AFG by 127 runs and win series 3-0 in New Delhi
Sanju Samson chipped in with a second half-century in a row for India in the third of the three-match T20I series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday. India has already won the series. Do follow us for all live updates
Well, that's the end of the game. Ravi Bishnoi has picked up three wickets too. That is a thumping win for India in the game; they were put in to bat first, and they managed to get a massive score in the first innings and with the ball they just kept chipping away at wickets, not letting Afghanistan get back into the game. That's it from us for today's game do join us for our next game of India.
Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravi Bishnoi pick three wickets each to help India bundle out Afghanistan to 94 runs and win by 127 runs. Earlier, Abhishek Sharma’s blistering century took India to 221/7 from 20 overs after Ibrahim Zadran’s Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bowl first against Shreyas Iyer’s India in the third T20I of the three-match series at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Thursday. India already won the series 2-0 on Tuesday when they beat the official hosts by seven wickets.
Once again the Indian team’s bowling looked imperious, as it did in the first T20I. However, the protagonist this time was all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who took a bit of a beating in the first game. Reddy picked up three wickets, breaking crucial partnerships and restricting Afghanistan to 159/8.
India chased it quite comfortably in 14.5 overs. The out-of-form Sanju Samson blitzed with a half-century to make a mockery of the chase in the powerplay. The Afghan bowlers once again had no clue how to deal with India’s power-hitting batting order.
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Well, Afghanistan have lost three more wickets since our last update. Nitish Kumar picked up the wickets of both Omarzai and Mujeeb after the one he took of Nabi, and now Ravi Bishnoi, in his over, got the wicket of Rashid Khan. It does seem like it is all but over for Afghanistan. This is a pretty embarrassing defeat for them.
Well, it is the familiar duo for Afghanistan who are in the middle. Throughout the series, time and again, it has been Nabi and Omarzai who have pulled Afghanistan out of trouble in this series. As we update, Nitish Kumar Reddy has picked up Nabi. There might be a serious chance of Afghanistan getting bowled out here now.
Ravi Bishnoi has picked up the wicket of Noor here. The batter tried to hit the ball down the ground and ended up giving a catch to the long-off fielder. Well, Afghanistan has now lost half their side here in New Delhi. It is turning out to be another ordinary batting performance from Afghanistan in Delhi.
Yash Thakur has picked up the wicket of Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran. Well, with that wicket, it does seem like the game has gone out of Afghanistan's hands here in New Delhi. It is all about reducing the margin from here on as much as they can and save the blushes. India might try and get a few part-time bowlers in here.
Goodness, that has been some passage Afghanistan, after looking decent, have now lost three wickets in no time. First, it was Axar who cleaned Gurbaz's stumps and picked up Atal in the same over when the left-hander tried to hit the ball long. And then Jasprit Bumrah bowled a delivery for the ages to get rid of Rasooli.
This is a very good start for Afghanistan. This is what they lacked through this series: a good powerplay. Now that they have got the start in the first three overs, they must squeeze 60-70 runs in this powerplay and give India something to ponder upon in their defence. Oops! We jinxed it, sorry, Afghanistan fans. Axar Patel picked up Gurbaz.
Well, this is an interesting move from India. They have gone in with Nitish Kumar Reddy to open the bowling here. He did bowl well in the last game and is a good swing bowler, but it still has not worked out for him as it did for Hardik Pandya. Even for his franchise bowling in the powerplay at this point in his career seems a little too far-fetched.
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Ibrahim Zadran(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Noor ul Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai
India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah
Well, the Indian innings just kept losing momentum as it went along. The wicket got sluggish, and the softer ball was hard to hit; to that, three run-outs did not help their cause either. But it is still a very good score, and Afghanistan will need someone to score big runs in the top three to at least give themselves a chance in this chase. Do stay with us we will be right back after the break.
Ishan Kishan has got himself run out here. Iyer tried to hit the ball through the long-off region, could get only an edge, which went to Gurbaz, who had one glove removed, and Ishan Kishan, who was going to the danger end, got run out. Well, that is the second run-out for India in this innings; the first one was Tilak Varma. As we update, Nitish Kumar Reddy has fallen.
Well, Afghanistan have pulled things back well here. They have picked up four quick wickets, and that has lowered the scoring rate; at one point in the innings, it did look like India would put on 280 or so, but now it seems like the expectations need to be checked. They might get to 230, which still will be a very competitive score.
Well, Rashid Khan's fielding has been outrageous in this series, and he has plucked out another blinder of a catch as he ran towards his left to take a catch off Shivam Dube, who hit the ball through mid-wicket. Well, Dube got his chance to show his long levers, and he failed; it was a good ground for him and a situation just to get a few hits away.
Sanju Samson too got to his landmark, which was a half-century and on the following ball he tried to hit Omarzai seems like he had got the toe-end of the bat, and the long-off fielder Rashid Khan took a very good catch. Well, it is very un-Samson-like not to make a big score after getting a start in this format of the game.
Well, India has lost two wickets since our last update. First, it was Abhishek Sharma who tried to hit the ball through extra cover and got an edge to the keeper, and then Tilak Varma, in his attempt to take a needless single, got himself run out. Well, good passage of play for Afghanistan, but the damage seems to be done beyond what can be recovered for them.
Abhishek Sharma has scored the fastest century by an Indian here in New Delhi. What power hitting has that been from him? He just kept peppering that leg-side boundary consistently through the evening. Well, he did have a tough tour in Zimbabwe, but he is making up for it here in Delhi for all the low scores. As we update, Rashid Khan picks Abhishek.
Abhishek Sharma has already gone to 87 runs from 27 deliveries; it is one of those days from him when he has gone berserk. With the approach he takes, this is something he can always do to the opposition. It has been one of those days; he is swinging through the line, and as we update, he is in the 90s.
Well, Afghanistan has turned to off-spinners, and it has backfired big time. It was a tactic used in the second T20I too; it did not work then, nor did it today. The issue for the spinners is that both the Indian batters are hitting the ball by length. Rashid Khan has come into the attack for India inside the powerplay.
This is a cracking start for Abhishek Sharma. He is going after the bowling right away. These are the conditions which are most suited for his play here in Delhi. The new ball comes nicely onto the bat, and the bounce too is a little low here, which enables him to play the shot according to his will or premeditation.
Fazalhaq Farooqi has taken the new ball for Afghanistan and started well, unlike the first T20I when he was thrashed for a few. In the last game, Ibrahim was given the older ball, where his cutters seemed like a sensible option, but now giving him the new ball suggests that Zadran expects there is a bit of swing and seam in the air.
The Indians are out in the middle; this will be the first time they will be batting in this series. It has been a chase for them; it will be interesting to see how they will approach this innings. Samson and Abhishek have been quite brutal up top in the powerplay; don't expect them to tone down one bit.
"We're looking at a pitch that was used for the first game, and very similar look to the pitch that we had for the first game. And I think this one plays better than the other one, you think? Yes, it did, because it was possibly fresh, and we spoke about this strip. This is pitch number six, that was pitch number four, which is closer to the pavilion. And we did mention these kind of marks in game number two, and we saw the dryness when the spinners bowled. Even when the seamers held the ball slightly back of a length and bowled the slower ones, you could see some help for them. I see this pitch playing like the one which we saw the other day, the second game. Just a reminder for viewers, for batters batting on the pavilion side. Now when you play on this pitch, the leg boundary, the on-side boundary gets really long, and that's saying a lot. Significantly, I would say. Yeah, relatively longer, so that is a bonus for a guy who's bowling spin from this side and you've got a right-hander there. Yeah, absolutely, and I think that is where the captains have been pretty good. That's what the track record says, and that's what the captains have done. Lots of players coming back from injury. You want that continuity. And also because Abhishek has just found form, Sanju Samson got runs, so it would have been unfair to drop him. But would have been delightful to watch that young man (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi) on a pitch like this with a short boundary on that side. So for the moment, India doing something different. They bat first, which is going to be fun to watch."
[You lost the toss. What would you have chosen?] We would have definitely batted first as well. I interacted with him. I knew what he would do. [Is this a good test against a side that has won the series?] Yes, absolutely, and it also gives us a fun challenge to bat here to the best of our abilities. [What have you told the team ahead of this game?] See, there is no room for complacency. It's important that we stick to the moment and see to it that we are basically backing our instincts and not complicating things. Obviously, we are batting first. That doesn't mean that we are going to go completely berserk. We need to adapt. We need to see to it that we are getting acclimatized to the situation as well. So yeah, good challenge, looking forward to it. [Any changes to your side tonight?] One change - Yash Thakur comes in place of Arshdeep.
We are going to bowl first. We wanted to bowl first in the last two games as well, but unfortunately, we lost the toss. If you look at the wicket, it's quite supportive for the bowlers, and I'm sure we will execute our plans well in the bowling department. We will try to put pressure on them and not allow them to put a big score on the board. [What’s the team’s mindset after the series defeat?] We have lost the series, but we thought about the areas we need to work on and what we haven't done well in the last two games. We will try to play better cricket and win a game against them to finish well. And yes, India are one of the best teams. They have, I would say, all the departments covered in T20 cricket, but we always try to make things easy for ourselves and not complicate them. We just try to give 100% and play better cricket against them. [Any changes?] Yes, we have got two changes. Gulbadin Naib and Noor Ahmad are not playing. Abdullah Ahmadzai and Noor ul Rahman are in.
Ibrahim Zadran(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Noor ul Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdullah Ahmadzai
Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Yash Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah
Ibrahim Zadran wins toss and opts to bowl first vs IND in New Delhi
"The biggest thing that came out of all this is Sanju Samson scoring runs, because we have given him opportunities. Why do we keep talking about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi? That's because Sanju Samson has been dismissed without even scoring 10 runs, many times. He has been out for 0, 2, 5 or 6 runs, and his form after the World Cup has not been that good," he said.
"Sanju batted brilliantly. I often feel that we are a little hasty in judging him. The way he batted has probably put an end to the debate," Sharma told Cricbuzz.
"Yeah, I'd love to. I want to play the best cricket that I can for as long as I can. My pace has been good this year. I bowled in the SA20, and I felt really good there. I'm not looking too far ahead. I just want to stay fit and play as much high-level cricket as I can, and if that brings me back to the IPL, then amazing. I'd love to come back to India. It's an amazing place to play cricket," he said.
"I think Bumrah stands out across formats. I was lucky enough to spend that season with him at Mumbai and get up close and see how he goes about it. He's got such a high skill level and can bowl as quick as anybody on his day as well. The great thing is that he can do it across formats. For me, Bumrah is probably the best in the world."
"Two of the best players to have ever played the game, particularly in white-ball cricket in India. They are masters playing in those conditions. It was a great experience to learn and to be around those guys. It came at two very different points in my career, RCB back in 2017 and then MI in 2022," he said in an interview with CREX.
"If somebody has got natural talent but he is not applying his cricketing thinking, then he is not going to make much progress. You can see with Nitish that he wants to improve every time, and that's why he has got a great future," Gavaskar observed.
"In the last match, he gave away 30 runs in two overs. Now he has taken three wickets for less than 30 runs. It just tells you that he has learned from it. That is something that you have got to see," he said.
"These are the guys you want to keep an eye on. Help them and encourage them to take their bowling also a little bit seriously because they are primarily in the team as batters. Sometimes when you are in the team primarily as batters, you tend to think as batters. If you start to think a little bit like bowlers, they will be absolutely fantastic, and India then has the options," he observed.
"Venkatesh Iyer, Suryansh Shedge - these are all promising all-rounders, and they have to be given the opportunity to develop. Don't rush them in. Develop them and also at the same time, encourage them when they don't have a good match," the former Indian opener said.
"Nitish Kumar Reddy is a very fine prospect. When he started in the IPL, he wasn't much of a bowler then, in that first year before he went to Australia. He was more of a batter. The batting technique was very good. A couple of overs he bowled towards the end of that first season, that's where he looked as if he could be a very fine all-round cricketer," Sunil Gavaskar said on Sony Sports.
"We want all of them to get used to the wicket and the conditions and also get some practice. So it would be a nice game to give opportunities to the players, especially who have been sitting out, and also change a little bit in the combination as well."
"We thought about the things that can help improve that 150-160 [total] to 200-plus. We need to bring that intent... But, this is the second game we have had in this year [since the World Cup seven months ago]. We didn’t get any lots of games. As soon as we improve in that area [execution with the bat], I’m pretty sure we will challenge the biggest team."
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk)/Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Sediqullah Atal, Gulbadin Naib, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman/Naveen-ul-Haq/Abdullah Ahmadzai, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Hello and welcome to our live blog for the 3rd T20I. India has already won; the only thing at stake in this game is whether Afghanistan shows some fight and plays for their pride. They have been quite ordinary in the first two games and will look to compete today in the third game and give a India a good game.
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