New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) After defeats in Ireland and England laid bare the issues with its understrength bowling unit, including severe injury setbacks to key personnel, current T20 World Cup holders India finally found its cutting edge with the ball, setting the foundation for a clinical seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the T20I series opener at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.

Jasprit Bumrah’s impactful return from a left knee injury instantly restored bite to the frontline pace attack, as he removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck to trigger an early Afghanistani collapse. Alongside Arshdeep Singh’s standout 3-19 and a frugal stump-to-stump leash from spin duo Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy, who picked a scalp each.

It also meant that, apart from pace bowling being lightweight, India got better returns from its spinners, an area that hurt the three-time T20 World Cup winners on the trip to the United Kingdom. What would concern India, though, was the fifth-bowler quota, shared between Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, and Shivam Dube, who conceded 59 runs at an economy rate of 14.75.

Afghanistan found its way back as Azmatullah Omarzai hit a brilliant, unbeaten counter-attacking 64 off 44 balls, pushing Afghanistan to 156/8, including an 83-run stand with Mohammad Nabi (33). But the total proved hopelessly inadequate once India began their reply. Abhishek Sharma watched the ball like a hawk and left 25, 165 fans drenched in a relentless shower of boundaries.

With his incredible ball-striking, Abhishek reached fifty off 22 balls before extending it to a blistering 32-ball 82. His ruthless assault flattened the Afghan bowling attack and put India in cruise control from the get-go. Partnering with Ishan Kishan (42) in an explosive 121-run stand, Abhishek ensured India made a complete mockery of the 157-run target, cruising home with 38 balls to spare and taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

After winning the toss, India struck almost immediately as Bumrah extracted steep bounce, forcing a simple catch off Gurbaz’s glove edge to Abhishek Sharma at first slip. Arshdeep provided support from the other end, but Sediqullah Atal produced brief fireworks in the third over, hitting a boundary and a flat six off Bumrah.

But Afghanistan’s momentum was quickly halted when Zadran was run out after being caught short of his crease by a sharp throw from Ishan Kishan. Arshdeep then removed Atal when his mis-timed stroke was caught comfortably at gully.

With spin introduced early in the bowling attack, Axar made an instant impact by sending Gulbadin Naib to point, while Chakaravarthy, returning to the international fold, struck in his opening over, cleaning up Darwish Rasooli with a skidding delivery that rattled the leg stump.

From 43/5, veteran Nabi (33 off 27 balls) and Omarzai then stabilised the innings with a steady partnership. With Reddy not in his element, Nabi and Omarzai had no trouble hitting him and Abhishek for boundaries, including the former producing a magnificent straight six off the seam-bowling all-rounder.

But Nabi fell to Arshdeep's clever change of pace when a slower ball left his stumps in disarray. Arshdeep quickly added a third to his tally by removing Rashid Khan, while a sharp direct hit from Shreyas Iyer ran out Noor Ahmad in the 19th over.

After completing his fifty off 39 balls, Omarzai took full charge in the final over bowled by Dube, smashing him for two massive sixes over long-on and deep extra cover, before Mujeeb Ur Rahman hit successive boundaries off him to take Afghanistan past 150, a target that had seemed a distant prospect in the seventh over of the innings.

In the chase, India were in cruise control from the outset. Sanju Samson set the early tone with a flick and loft off Fazalhaq Farooqi. But the flick eventually brought Samson’s downfall, as he was too early into his shot and was caught by deep square leg off Omarzai.

But Abhishek, who got off the mark with an inside-out loft off Mujeeb Ur Rahman, launched an all-out assault – after lofting and pulling Omarzai for boundaries, he tore into Farooqi. He first lofted him over cover for a crisp six before walloping a slower bouncer into the deep midwicket stand.

He looted 26 runs off the fifth over from Farooqi, alongside Kishan, who launched him for a mammoth second-tier six, before backing away to carve another boundary over point. Mohammad Nabi’s spin as Abhishek got a streaky slice past gully for four, before swatting him over mid-on for six as India got 82 runs off the power-play.

Abhishek brought up India’s century and his 12th T20I fifty off just 22 balls with a gentle tuck to the leg side, before tearing into Rashid Khan - after stepping out to launch a towering six over mid-wicket, he ended the ninth over with a flat-batted hit over deep extra cover.

Abhishek’s relentless assault when he pulled a skiddy length ball from Noor Ahmad over wide long-on for six, before leaning into a gorgeous lofted drive going over deep extra cover for another maximum, even as Kishan drilled one past the wrist-spinner for four.

After leaving Afghanistan fielders shocked by slog-sweeping Nabi for six, Abhishek couldn’t get hold of a full toss and holed out to long-on, who took a reverse-cupped catch before sliding on the ground.

Thereafter, Kishan, who later holed out in the deep off Nabi, Shreyas Iyer and Tilak Varma applied finishing touches on a dominant victory to send the Delhi crowd into a frenzy. The spectators reserved their loudest cheers for the Indian team playing as visitors, ensuring they felt right at home despite Afghanistan being the designated hosts.

Brief Scores: Afghanistan 156/8 in 20 overs (Azmatullah Omarzai 64 not out, Mohammad Nabi 33; Arshdeep Singh 3-19, Varun Chakaravarthy 1-16) lost to India 157/3 in 13.4 overs (Abhishek Sharma 82, Ishan Kishan 42; Mohammad Nabi 2-28, Azmatullah Omarzai 1-14) by 7 wickets.

--IANS

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