India beat Afghanistan and clinched the T20 series early
In New Delhi, India, the Indian cricket team defeated Afghanistan in the second match of the T20 series by seven wickets and secured an early victory in the three-match contest. India successfully chased a target of 160 runs and finished the match with 5.1 overs remaining in the innings, taking a 2-0 lead in the series, Dawn reports.
Samson's contribution
Opener Sanju Samson scored 57 runs off 22 balls. He hit seven fours and four sixes, reaching the 50-run mark off 20 balls. Together with Abhishek Sharma, who scored 39 runs off 19 balls, Samson put on an opening partnership of 88 runs in 6.2 overs.
Samson hit four fours in one over from Azmatullah Omarzai. In Mohammad Nabi's over, he added two sixes and two fours, bringing the team 27 runs. Rashid Khan dismissed Sharma with a delivery after he had hit a six.
Captain Shreyas Iyer scored 11 runs. Ishan Kishan finished the match unbeaten on 38 runs, while Tilak Varma made 15; they completed an unbroken 40-run partnership that brought India victory.
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Afghanistan's innings
Earlier, Afghanistan finished their innings on 159 for eight wickets. Nitish Kumar Reddy took three wickets for 24 runs in three overs. Jasprit Bumrah began the match with a maiden over, while Arshdeep Singh dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who did not score a run.
Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran scored 37 runs off 33 balls. Together with Sediqullah Atal, he put on a 51-run partnership before being dismissed by Reddy. At the end of the innings, Mohammad Nabi scored 20 runs and Rashid Khan made 28 off 16 balls, but Reddy dismissed Rashid in the final over with a slower ball.
After the match, Zadran said the team had aimed to improve its total within the 150-160-run range and needed to play with the intention of scoring 200 or more. The third match of the series will take place on Thursday at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
