Samson's 57 seals India's T20 series win over Afghanistan
India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the second T20I in Delhi to win the three-match series 2-0 with a game to spare, powered by Sanju Samson's 57.
Convincing win in Delhi
India's cricket team beat Afghanistan by seven wickets on Tuesday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, sealing the three-match T20I series 2-0 with a game to spare, according to Al Jazeera and Yahoo Sports. It was India's second consecutive seven-wicket win at the same venue, after also winning the opening match on Sunday.
Samson's show
Sanju Samson was the standout performer, scoring 57 off 22 balls with four sixes and seven fours — his first half-century since this year's T20 World Cup final, where he was named player of the tournament. His opening partner Abhishek Sharma also contributed strongly: Al Jazeera reports he scored 39 off 19 balls before being caught at deep midwicket, while Willow Sports cites a figure of 38 not out for Sharma — the discrepancy between the two sources is not resolved here. Together the pair put on 88 runs off just 38 balls. India raced to 100 in 7.1 overs, its joint second-fastest since 2024. Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan took three wickets, including Sharma, Samson and captain Shreyas Iyer, but Ishan Kishan (38 not out) and Tilak Varma (15 not out) finished the chase without trouble. India closed on 163-3 in 14.5 overs.
Afghanistan's struggle
Host Afghanistan, playing the series under a special hosting arrangement, were restricted to 159-8 in 20 overs — an under-par score for the second straight game after India won the toss and chose to field. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for a duck for the second consecutive match, this time bowled by Arshdeep Singh. Captain Ibrahim Zadran scored 37 off 33 balls, but the innings slid from 59-2 to 100-6 in the middle overs. A 48-run partnership between Rashid Khan (28 off 16) and Mohammad Nabi (20 off 14) helped Afghanistan recover somewhat. India all-rounder Nitish Reddy took 3-24 from his three overs.
What's next
The now-inconsequential third match will be played on Thursday in Delhi. Attention will focus on whether 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, named player of the series against Zimbabwe in July, will finally make his debut against Afghanistan — he has not played in either of the first two matches. After the second win, Samson said Sooryavanshi, who he said had scored 700-800 runs in the IPL, deserved a place in the side, while acknowledging his own poor form during India's tours of Ireland and England. Afghanistan's Rashid Khan called the teenager a "God-gifted talent."
