India beat Afghanistan by six wickets in the second and penultimate T20I, in Indore, to take an unassailable 2-0 lead on Sunday (Jan 14). Riding on Axar Patel’s economical spell (2 for 17), Arshdeep Singh’s 3 for 32 and Ravi Bishnoi’s 2 for 39, India dismissed the Afghans for 172 in 20 overs. In reply, the Men in Blue completed the run-chase courtesy of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 34-ball 68 and Shivam Dube’s unbeaten 63 (32 balls)

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

With this win, India now have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. They won the opener by the same margin, in Mohali on Jan 11. The wo successive wins have helped India maintained a clean record in home T20I series since June 2019. 

India record in home T20I series since June 2019
Played 15
Won 13 *
Drawn 2
Lost 0

ALSO READ | West Indies great Brian Lara joins Test squad as mentor ahead of curtain raiser against Australia in Adelaide

India’s last T20I series loss at home came against Aaron Finch-led Australia. Back then, the Men in Yellow thrashed Virat Kohli & Co. 2-0 in a two-match series in early 2019.

Talking about the Indore clash, Rohit Sharma-led India opted to bowl first. On a batting surface, Afghanistan only managed a moderate 172 all-out with an entertaining 35-ball 57 from Gulbadin Naib. Others got starts but couldn’t push the score beyond 200-210.

In response, India lost skipper Rohit for a golden duck. He is yet to get off the mark in the series with two back-to-back ducks. Virat Kohli, on his T20I return, looked good for his 16-ball 29 but Jaiswal-Dube thrashed the bowlers to all parts of the ground and their brisk hitting got India past the finish line. Axar Patel returned with the Player-of-the-Match for his decisive spell.

At the post-match presentation Rohit Sharma said, “We have been clear with what we wanted to do, very clear message to everyone and when you see a performance like that, you can be really proud. One thing is talking about it, but to actually go there and play that way is a proud feeling. The last two games, we’ve ticked a lot of boxes. They’ve had a great couple of years, Jaiswal has played Test cricket now and even T20I. He has shown what he is capable of. He has the talent and has a great range of shots. Dube is a big guy, very powerful and can take on the spinners. That is his role and he has come out and played two crucial innings for us.”

India will lock horns with the Afghans for the third and inconsequential T20I in Bengaluru on Jan 17 (Wednesday).

You can now write for Baazigarnews.com and be a part of the Baazigar family. Share your stories and opinions with us here.