Sanju Samson runs riot to put Afghan series to bed

New Delhi: Sanju Samson put on a demolishing display as India thrashed Afghanistan by 7 wickets to win the T20I series. The Malayali star’s power-packed innings of 57(22) helped India seal the deal with more than 5 overs to spare.

Nitish Kumar Reddy’s exceptional 25/3 along with an economic bowling effort from the Indian side helped restrict Afghanistan to a fighting 159/8 earlier in the game. The captain Ibrahim Zadran’s 37(33) made him the top scorer of the pack. Sanju and Abhishek opened the attack in response, putting on a powerplay spectacle, with the left-hander exploding first to set the tone.

Sanju began quietly, supporting the attack from one end and eventually took charge of the game, quickly shifting the gears to get himself a half-century. Afghan replied by quickly dismissing the duo, but the game was already done and dusted by then.

Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan tried to settle in quickly, but the skipper couldn't hold on much longer. Kishan, combined with Tilak Varma who followed, to close the game out in under 15 overs.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 159/8 in 20 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 37, Rashid Khan 28; Arshdeep Singh 2/35, Nitish Kumar Reddy 3/24) lost to India 163/3 in 14.5 overs (Sanju Samson 57, Abhishek Sharma 39, Ishan Kishan 38 not out; Rashid Khan 3/36) by 7 wickets.