IND vs AFG 1st T20 Highlights

India's fringe players, led by Shivam Dube, seized the opportunity and secured a convincing six-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the first T20 of their three-match series. Despite a challenging start that saw openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill departing early due to a mix-up, Dube's impressive unbeaten knock of 60, along with Tilak Varma's contribution of 26 off 22 balls, guided India to victory comfortably in 17.3 overs.

Afghanistan, having struggled early on and reduced to 57 for three in the first 10 overs, found stability through a dynamic partnership between Mohammad Nabi (42 off 27) and Azmatullah Omarzai (29 off 22), reaching a total of 158 for five. However, India's effective bowling, with Axar Patel leading with figures of 2 for 23, limited Afghanistan's progress.

Despite India dropping catches in the chilly Mohali conditions and the absence of Yashasvi Jaiswal due to injury, Dube's powerful performance, along with contributions from Varma and Jitesh Sharma (31 off 20), ensured India's successful chase. Rinku Singh (16 not out off 9) joined Dube to finish the game, securing a win for India in the first T20.

The match also marked Rohit Sharma's return to T20s after 14 months, but an unfortunate mix-up with Gill limited his stay to just two balls. Afghanistan's top order struggled initially, with Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, and Mukesh Kumar playing crucial roles in restricting their progress.