A brilliant all-round performance from Shivam Dube helped India win the first T20I of the three-match series against Afghanistan by six wickets in Mohali. After restricting Afghanistan to 158, India chased down the target quite comfortably, with 15 balls to spare, with Dube remaining unbeaten on 60 off 40 deliveries. His innings was laced with five fours and two sixes. Axar Patel and Mukesh Kumar were outstanding with the ball, each bagging two wickets.
India’s run chase had gotten off to a disastrous start. Rohit Sharma was making his T20I comeback after over 14 months, but it didn’t go as planned. He fell victim to a terrible run-out. On the second delivery of the Indian innings, Rohit, yet to open his account, pushed Fazalhaq Farooqi’s fuller-length ball towards the off side. He ran the length of the pitch, and even though the fielder at mid-off, Ibrahim Zadran, didn’t collect the ball at the first attempt, Rohit’s opening partner, Shubman Gill, hesitated to leave the crease at the other end. A mix-up followed as both Rohit and Shubman found themselves at the non-striker’s end. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the wicketkeeper, seized the opportunity and dislodged the bails to dismiss Rohit.
After that unfortunate beginning, Gill displayed confidence throughout his stay at the crease. However, an impressive display of reflexes from wicketkeeper Gurbaz cut short his knock at 23 in the fourth over. Tilak Varma and Dube joined forces after India found themselves at 28-2 inside four overs. Both batters ensured that India didn’t lose any more wickets in the powerplay, finishing with 36 in the first six overs.
The left-handed duo added 44 runs before Tilak’s innings was cut short on 26 by a sensational catch from Gulbadin Naib in the ninth over. Jitesh Sharma walked in and aimed to unsettle the Afghanistan bowlers from the start. Jitesh’s aggressive approach helped India bring the required run rate down. Dube, too, was finding boundaries with relative ease. Both batters applied pressure back on the visitors with a quick 45-run partnership. Mujeeb Ur Rahman outfoxed Jitesh as he attempted to clear the long-on boundary in the 14th over.
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While wickets were falling at one end, Dube stood firm. The stage was set for Rinku Singh to come and do his job. He only had to face nine balls before Dube reached his fifty and finished the game in style with a six and four. After India had opted to bowl first, Arshdeep Singh began with a maiden over and created an opportunity with Ibrahim Zadran hitting one to Dube at mid-off, who dropped the catch with the Afghan skipper having made just 1.
The openers initiated the innings slowly. Despite the pitch being flat, Gurbaz and Zadran struggled to get going, especially Gurbaz, who had difficulty finding the right timing. The duo could only add 33 runs in the powerplay. After completing the 50-run partnership, both of them perished within a span of three deliveries. Gurbaz was sent back to the hut by some brilliant glovework from Jitesh in the eighth over. Ibrahim was dismissed soon after off the bowling of Dube. The experienced Rahmat Shah also couldn’t do much on his T20I debut, and his dismissal saw the team slide to 57-3 at the halfway stage. The visitors were under pressure.
That was when Mohammad Nabi joined Azmatullah Omarzai to provide some impetus to the innings. They were cautious against Axar, who was the pick of the bowlers from the Indian side and attacked Ravi Bishnoi, who had a horrible night with the ball, conceding 35 runs off his three overs. The duo stitched an important 50-run stand, with Nabi being the aggressor.
When it seemed like both players were going to play out the rest of the overs, Mukesh came back and delivered for his team. Dismissing both the set batters in the 18th over put an end to their 68-run partnership for the fourth wicket, in which Nabi scored 42 (27 balls), and Omarzai 29 (22 balls). Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat struck five boundaries in the last two overs, helping the side from 130-5 to 158-5. But on a belter of a pitch, and with no Rashid in the ranks, it was far too little against the Dube-led India.
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