In the opening match of the Afghanistan tour of India 2024, the cricket enthusiasts witnessed an exhilarating contest at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. India displayed all-round show and registered an emphatic victory.
Mohammad Nabi takes Afghanistan to a competitive total
Afghanistan’s innings saw them posting a competitive total of 158/5 in their allotted 20 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, and Azmatullah Omarzai made valuable contributions, scoring 23, 25, and 29 runs respectively. However, it was Mohammad Nabi’s explosive innings of 42 runs off 27 balls, featuring 2 fours and 3 sixes, that anchored Afghanistan’s innings. The Indian bowlers faced a challenging task, with Mukesh Kumar and Axar Patel each claiming two wickets to curtail Afghanistan’s momentum.
The standout performance with the ball for India came from Shivam Dube, who bowled a tight spell of 2 overs, conceding only 9 runs and taking a crucial wicket. His contribution played a pivotal role in limiting Afghanistan’s total to a manageable score.
Shivam Dube guides India over the finish line
Chasing a target of 159 runs, India’s top order faced early setbacks, with Rohit Sharma departing for a duck. However, a brilliant partnership between Shubman Gill (23) and Tilak Varma (26) steadied the ship. The highlight of India’s innings was Dube’s explosive knock, scoring 60 runs off 40 balls, including 5 fours and 2 sixes. Jitesh Sharma (31) and Rinku Singh (16) provided valuable contributions, guiding India to a comfortable victory.
Afghanistan’s bowlers tried to make a comeback, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman taking 2 wickets for 21 runs, but Dube’s aggressive innings proved to be the difference. India reached the target with 2.3 overs to spare, securing a convincing 6-wicket win in the first match of the series.
Also READ: IND vs AFG – Here’s why Yashasvi Jaiswal not playing today’s game in Mohali against Afghanistan
Here is how Twitter reacted:
6⃣,4⃣ and Shivam Dube wraps the chase in style 🙌#TeamIndia win by 6 wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the T20I series 👏👏
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/BkCq71Zm6G#INDvAFG | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @IamShivamDube pic.twitter.com/4giZma4f1u
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2024
Golden Arm Dube x Sixer Dube = India’s match-winner 🔥🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/cZoen1KJxw
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) January 11, 2024
Shivam Dube, The Star. 🇮🇳
– Dube won the Player of the match in his return match for India. pic.twitter.com/0IVsaGXxbC
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 11, 2024
Okay it’s time for another left handed middle order pair to take over pic.twitter.com/7u2HPLQ1jS
— Heisenberg ☢ (@internetumpire) January 11, 2024
#PlayBold in the cold was the recipe for success today! 🥶
🇮🇳 take a 1-0 lead in the T20I series 👊#INDvAFG #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/806Jeg32Cj
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) January 11, 2024
India beat Afghanistan in the first T20I 👊#INDvAFG #cricket
Scorecard: https://t.co/m3offzjfNc #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/KeZvs2tTfs— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) January 11, 2024
Most T20I Wins as Captain
42 – Asghar Afghan
42 – Eoin Morgan
42 – Babar Azam
41 – MS Dhoni
40 – Rohit Sharma*
40 – Aaron Finch[Full member teams]#INDvsAFG
— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) January 11, 2024
Rohit Sharma becomes the first player to be part of 100 T20i wins.
– The Hitman…!!! 🔥⭐ pic.twitter.com/wtyteFXtbI
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 11, 2024
Shivam Dube’s unbeaten half-century guides India to a comfortable victory in the run-chase 👏#INDvAFG 📝: https://t.co/wE4AsAFsxZ pic.twitter.com/F1kb4bs0Mc
— ICC (@ICC) January 11, 2024
Well deserved fifty for Shivam Dube 💛
Just another day of CSK blood doing it for Indian cricket team pic.twitter.com/cr3g15vhAB
— Yash (@CSKYash_) January 11, 2024
