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India vs Afghanistan third and final T20I match has concluded as Shreyas Iyer’s side won the match by 127 runs. Iyer opened up about the emphatic performance of his side in the match against the Afghanistan National Cricket Team, as the Men in Blue clean-swept the Afghans and won the series 3-0 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi.
Speaking after the series win, Shreyas Iyer credited India’s opener Abhishek Sharma, who gave them a brilliant start to the run chase, as he was happy with the team's overall performance. The India skipper also spoke about the game and praised Afghanistan’s performance and how the series will provide confidence to the players ahead of the Asian Games 2026.
Abhishek Sharma, the star for India
Ibrahim Zadran won the toss and opted to field first, as they made two changes in the side with Gulbadin Naib and Noor Ahmad dropped, and Abdullah Ahmadzai and Noor ul Rahman replacing them in the squad. India made just one change in their side, as they brought in Yash Thakur in place of Arshdeep Singh.
Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma were off to a flying start. The Southpaw was the aggressor between the two as India brought up 100 runs inside the powerplay without losing a wicket. Abhishek brought up his half-century in just 16 deliveries. He broke several records after reaching his hundred in 30 balls and achieving the milestone of the fastest hundred by an Indian.
Samson also scored a fifty in the match, continuing his good form. Abhishek was dismissed for 108 off 34 deliveries, smashing 11 sixes and 9 fours in his blistering innings. Sanju was dismissed right after his half-century; after that, the Indian innings slowed down a bit as they went on to score 221/7 in their 20 overs, with small contributions from the middle order.
Afghanistan batting collapsed
While chasing, Afghanistan had a good start in the form of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. But Axar Patel provided the breakthrough as he dismissed Gurbaz for 15 runs off 11 deliveries, and in the same over he also dismissed Sediqullah Atal. As the Afghans were two down inside four overs, the wickets kept on falling.
Afghanistan batters failed to build a partnership, as their highest partnership was between Azmatullah Omarzai and Noor ul Rahman of 23 runs, and they were bundled out for the score of 94 runs, and they were whitewashed in the first series they hosted against the Men in Blue. Nitish Reddy and Ravi Bishnoi picked three wickets each, and Axar Patel picked two wickets.
"The way Abhishek played today was flawless": Shreyas Iyer on Abhishek Sharma's innings
Shreyas Iyer was happy with how the team performed, and he praised the innings of Abhishek Sharma, calling it 'pleasing'. Shreyas Iyer also stated that it was not an easy wicket to bat on, and he respected Afghanistan as they came and hosted India for the series.
Shreyas Iyer said (as quoted by Cricbuzz) "[How are you feeling after bullying the opposition] I won't say bullying. We are respectful of the fact that they have come to India and were hosting the series. It wasn't an easy wicket, the way Abhishek played today was flawless and was pleasing to the eye.
Shreyas Iyer also revealed that he knew that India was going to bat, and as the Afghan captain already said, he was looking to bowl first in the game. He said that after being asked to bat first they got a sensational start to the innings. Iyer, while further adding he revealed why he brought in Axar Patel early.
Shreyas Iyer reveals why he brought in Axar Patel inside the powerplay
He said, "[On batting first and winning more convincingly] Honestly speaking, I knew I was going to bat. We had a brief conversation with Ibrahim, he wanted to bowl in the first two games also. I had this vision that we are going to bat but yeah, phenomenal start we got. And then to cream those runs in between to get 220 on the board was commendable."
Iyer further added, [On bringing Axar early in the attack] "Yes, absolutely. He has done it in the past, he's doing it again. He's the man to deliver in that position. I personally feel he's someone who has a good head on his shoulders and thinks a lot about his game. Performing consistently as well. Kudos to him."
