India registered a comprehensive victory against Afghanistan in the first T20I by six wickets to get an early lead in the three-match T20I series.
India registered a comprehensive victory against Afghanistan in the first T20I by six wickets to get an early lead in the three-match T20I series. After winning the toss, Rohit Sharma opted to field first on what was a chilly evening in Mohali. The move turned out to be correct, as the Indian bowlers bowled exceptionally well, especially for the first 13-14 overs.
They restricted the Afghanistan openers by not allowing them to hit the boundaries consistently in the powerplay. They tried hard but couldn’t execute the shots due to tight lines and lengths bowled by the Indian bowlers. When the batters tried too hard, they had to lose their wickets since the bowlers gave nothing.
From 50/0, Afghanistan slipped to 57/3 and looked set to finish under a below-par total. However, Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi formed a brilliant partnership and took the attack back on the bowlers. Both hit boundaries consistently, scoring 68 runs in tandem.
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Their valiant knocks helped Afghanistan reach a fighting total of 158. While the total wasn’t as big, it gave something to the Afghanistan bowlers to bowl with. However, the Indian team turned out to be too strong.
While India lost Rohit Sharma early due to an unfortunate run-out, Shubman Gill (23) and Tilak Varma (26) looked good during their stay. However, both couldn’t make their innings long and left midway. But Shivam Dube, coming in at No.4, played a terrific innings.
Dube has improved his hitting significantly lately, and it was again visible in Mohali. The southpaw amassed 60 runs in 40 balls, including five fours and two sixes. His hitting was clean, and the way he handled the short balls was impressive.
𝘿𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝘿𝙪𝙗𝙚 💪
A well crafted half century by Shivam gives 🇮🇳 a upper hand in the #INDvAFG 1st T20I 👊#IDFCFirstBankT20ITrophy #JioCinemaSports #GiantsMeetGameChangers #INDvAFG pic.twitter.com/CARo7T3TfS
— JioCinema (@JioCinema) January 11, 2024
Dube made sure to hold one end and take the innings forward. He remained not out after during the chase and also hit the winning runs. Earlier, Dube had also snared a wicket while conceding only nine runs in his two overs.
6⃣,4⃣ and Shivam Dube wraps the chase in style 🙌#TeamIndia win by 6 wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the T20I series 👏👏
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/BkCq71Zm6G#INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @IamShivamDube pic.twitter.com/4giZma4f1u
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2024
It was a sensational performance from Shivam Dube in his comeback game. India need someone in the absence of Hardik Pandya, and Dube can fill that slot. He is an improved cricketer and will look to make every opportunity count.
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