Rampant batters fire India to easy win in 2nd T20I vs Afghanistan after Axar’s heroics with ball
INDORE: It was Makar Sakranti, but the way India’s young batting guns Yashasvi Jaiswal (68, 34b, 5×4, 6×6) and Shivam Dube (63 not out, 32b, 5×4, 4×6) exploded at the Holkar Stadium on Sunday night, it felt like it was Diwali.
Coming out all guns blazing during their 92-run partnership for the third wicket in just 42 balls, the lefthanded duo helped India chase down Afghanistan’s 172 by just the 16th over.
As many as 26 balls remained when India sealed their six-wicket win in the second T20 here, which saw them wrap up the series 2-0, before the caravan moves to Bangalore for the last T20I.
The man who stood out with the ball for India was left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who returned figures of two for 17 in four overs at a venue which is normally a graveyard for bowlers. The ball that castled Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran (8) in the sixth over was an absolute beauty.
Playing his first T20I in 14 months, Virat Kohli took the attack to the bowlers in his free-flowing 16- ball 29 which included five fours. However, his 28-ball 57-run partnership with Jaiswal for the second wicket ended when he perished to pacer Naveen-ul-Haq, caught at midoff off a mistimed shot.
Thereafter, the 24,000-strong holiday crowd saw a six-hitting competition between two Mumbaikars. Timing the ball wonderfully, the duo struck 10 sixes between them.
Opening the bowling, off-spinner Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman went for 32 in his two overs, with his second over going for 19. Brought in for this match, ‘mystery spinner’ Noor Ahmed was carted for 35 in his three overs, while experienced off-spinner Mohammed Nabi was tonked for 30 in his two overs, with Dube blasting three massive sixes as he employed his deadly slog-sweep.
Indeed, it was heartwarming to see such clean, effortless six hitting by Jaiswal and Dube in a city which is famous for producing CK Nayudu, India’s first cricket captain, who too was famous for clobbering sixes at will.
Returning to the XI after missing the last game due to a groin injury, Jaiswal, who replaced Shubman Gill at the top, sliced the first ball of the innings, from Farooqi, for a four to the off-side, and never looked back. In the third over, he carted Farooqi for two sixes, first over long on, and the second, a ferocious pull over deep mid-wicket.
Earlier, in an innings of ebbs and flows, Afghanistan, riding on a fine half-century by
Gulbadin Naib and good cameos in the lower order by Mujeeb (21, 9b, 2×4, 2×6) and Karim Janat (20, 10b, 2×4, 1×6) finished at 172 all out, their highest T20I total against India.
Doing well to withstand the Afghan onslaught, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, finished as India’s most successful bowler, taking three for 32 in four overs. Realising that they needed to get a big score on a flat wicket at a ground with small dimensions after they were asked to bat first, Afghanistan kept coming hard at India’s bowlers despite losing wickets at regular intervals. However, the visitors could have been bundled out earlier but for the late dash from Mujeeb, and his 30-run partnership in just 12 balls for the seventh wicket with Janat.