Abhishek fires up while Sanju falters: India thrash Afghanistan by seven wickets in first T20I

New Delhi: India overcame Afghanistan with clinical ease, defeating them by seven wickets as Abhishek Sharma's blistering 82 powered the Shreyas Iyer-led side to a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series here on Sunday.

Arshdeep Singh’s incisive 3/19 and an impressive all-round bowling effort kept the visitors to a below-par 156-8, with Azmatullah Omarzai’s fighting 64 off 44 as their only positive. Chasing a modest 157, India wrapped things up in just 13.4 overs, with Sharma smashing a 32-ball 82, studded with seven boundaries and as many sixes.

Sanju Samson, who was tipped to have an early impact with the bat, had another day to forget, getting dismissed at only 10 off 8 balls. Sharma later found an able ally in Ishan Kishan, who scored 42 off 33 balls, as the duo put on 121 runs for the second wicket. Iyer (8 not out) and Tilak Varma (3 not out) completed the formalities for the men in blue.
(With inputs from PTI)