India vs Afghanistan 2nd T20I Full Commentary

Welcome back for the chase. Ibrahim Zadran leads his troops out onto the park. It will be the left-hand, right-hand combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson to open the innings for India. A change in approach from Afghanistan tonight, as they are starting with spin in the form of Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Samson to face the first ball. There is a slip in place. Off we go..

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Looking ahead - A different wicket is being used tonight, and we saw the Indian spinners getting the ball to grip and turn, even if only ever so slightly. So, it may not be quite as straightforward for India to chase this down as it was the other night. But if they make it look easy, then kudos to them. Afghanistan will be on the hunt for early wickets to set the tone in defence of the total and put India on the back foot. Given the depth India possess, Afghanistan will need to strike at regular intervals and not allow partnerships to develop. It should be an interesting chase, so stick around.

Rashid and Nabi provide the late lift - The script repeated itself right from the toss, with Shreyas Iyer opting to bowl first. Gurbaz once again fell without troubling the scorers, and that was followed by a period where Atal and Ibrahim Zadran got a partnership going. But, just as was the case the other night, both fell in quick succession at a time when Afghanistan were looking to pick up the pace. Darwish Rasooli's promising stay was also cut short as the Afghans lost 5 wickets for 49 runs through the middle phase. But they got a late lift by an enterprising 28-ball, 48-run stand between Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, which played a big part in Afghanistan getting close to 160.

Afghanistan finish on 159 - 54 runs came off the last 5 overs, allowing the Afghans to finish with a competitive total. Will it be enough? Only time will tell. Shreyas Iyer had spoken about not picking up enough wickets through the middle phase in the opening game as an area to work on, and while India did that tonight, it was at the death where they leaked runs.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman is in at number 9.

Time for the final over. Shivam Dube was entrusted with the 20th over the other night and went for 21 runs. Going by the way he has bowled tonight, it looks like Nitish Kumar Reddy will get the nod this time around. Yep, it is going to be Reddy.

The new batter is Noor Ahmad.

Jasprit Bumrah to bowl the penultimate over. So it will be either Nitish Kumar Reddy or Shivam Dube for the final over.

Arshdeep Singh (3-0-19-2) switches ends.

On to the last one - Two games done. Two very dominant wins for India as they take the series home, leading 2-0. Afghanistan, to be very fair, haven't given a strong account of the tough, fighting team that they are so far. They have a lot to address before the series concludes with the 3rd and final T20I. It will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, 17th September, and the first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 2 pm GMT (7.30 pm IST). As usual, our buildup begins well in advance. So do join us for that as well. For now, you can switch tabs and follow all the updates from the first T20I between England and Sri Lanka at Southampton. England have been asked to bat first, and the game is about to start in a few minutes. From here, though, we sign off. CIAO!

The victorious Indian skipper - Shreyas Iyer says that, looking at the last game, they were demanding a comprehensive win from themselves, and today was the right example of that. He admits it was a tough pill to swallow at the start of his captaincy journey, but says he has to maintain his equilibrium and not think too much about the past. Iyer adds that the more you embrace the situation, the better it gets. Asked if we can expect any changes in the next game, he says they want everyone to get used to the conditions and have some game time.

The captain of Afghanistan - Ibrahim Zadran admits that they struggled with the bat once again. Also accepts that they didn't do well in the Powerplay, both with the bat and the ball. Credits the Indian bowlers for putting them under a lot of pressure from the beginning. He goes on to reveal the substance of the conversations within the camp following the first game, centred on turning totals in the 150-160 range into scores upward of 200. The message, he says, is about bringing greater intent as a batting unit, something he feels has been missing in the series. For a side with ambitions of beating the best in the world, he stresses, that intent has to become non-negotiable. Adds that this is only Afghanistan's second game of the new era, and with so little cricket under their belt, he remains confident that more game time will bring the improvement they are after.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Nitish Kumar Reddy takes home the award for his exceptional bowling display. He ended up with his best bowling figures in T20Is, recording 3/24 in 3 overs. Reddy says his body feels good and he is back at a great level physically. He credits the hard work put in at the Centre of Excellence and the recovery process for helping him get back to this level. Nitish says he has always wanted to become a genuine all-rounder and wanted to develop his pace bowling as part of that. He acknowledges there are pros and cons to bowling pace, but says he is working on his fitness and recovery to ensure he does not get injured frequently. Reddy says it is all about believing in yourself. He adds that cricket is a funny game, and anything can change at any moment.

... The post-match Presentation ...

Deja vu batting blues - Afghanistan found themselves in familiar territory, slumping to 67/4 as the top order crumbled once again, with Gurbaz failing to trouble the scorers for a second straight game. Ibrahim and Rasooli showed some fight but couldn't turn their starts into something substantial, and with Omarzai unable to steady the ship this time, it was left to Nabi and Rashid Khan to salvage some respectability. Their late cameos hauled Afghanistan to 159. India's bowlers once again shared the load, though leaking 54 runs at the death will need addressing. Bumrah was the pick of the bunch for economy, while Nitish Kumar Reddy bounced back in style with a three-wicket haul after an expensive outing in the series opener. Bishnoi, stepping in for the injured Chakaravarthy, chipped in with a wicket in a tidy first outing as well. The sixth-bowler puzzle remains unsolved, though, with Dube again proving costly.

Got there with ease - Barring Rashid, who accounted for all three Indian wickets, none of the other bowlers offered much support, failing to even manufacture half-chances along the way. Afghanistan had actually frontloaded their bowling with spin, but neither Mujeeb nor Nabi could conjure early wickets, and Farooqi was introduced far too late, by which point the job was already done. Due to the onslaught from the openers, the required run rate was never really a worry for India, as Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma got together to get the job done with no further hiccups. Kishan, who is in his purple patch, entertained with a few lusty blows, and that was more than enough.

Stormed through the gates - It wasn't a daunting target for India to chase down, echoing the same story from the first T20I, where they had cruised home chasing 157 in under 14 overs. The only subplot worth watching was Samson, who badly needed a big score to break the string of low scores. He answered emphatically with a 20-ball half-century. Starting watchfully, Sanju soon cut loose, and India stormed to 82/0 by the end of the Powerplay. There was a mix of dexterity and brutality to Samson's innings, one that ended up stealing the spotlight even from Abhishek's blazing knock at the other end.

4.55 pm GMT (10.25 pm IST) - This is dominance at its very best from the Men in Blue as they win the series 2-0 with a game to go. And Sanjay Manjrekar on air informs that India haven't lost a single bilateral T20I series since 2019 at home, which further stamps how commanding they have been in front of their home crowd. Afghanistan, on the other hand, yet again failed to post enough runs on the board and were absolutely outdone by the batting mayhem that the Indian top order unleashed at them.

A bit of a chat between Rashid and Tilak as Afghanistan reviewed it for LBW. But it ends up in a hearty laugh from both.