Picture : BCCI / X
A rampant India beat Afghanistan by six wickets in the second T20I to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series .
Gulbadin Naib top-scored with a breezy 35-ball 57 before the lower-order batters Mujeeb Ur Rahman (21 off 9 balls) and Karim Janat (20 off 10) lifted Afghanistan to total of 172.. Najibullah Zadran (23) also chipped in with useful contribution towards the end . Afghanistan scored 38 from the last three overs.
Trailing 0-1 in the three-match series, Afghanistan raced to 20 for no loss in no time, forcing Rohit Sharma to introduce spin in the form of Ravi Bishnoi (2/39). Leg-spinner Bishnoi, who has a penchant for picking a wicket in his first over, did an encore as he lured Gurbaz to offer a catch to Shivam Dube at mid-on, having failed to get elevation.
In reply, India reached the target in 15.4 overs with Yashasvi Jaiswal hitting a 34-ball 68 and Shivam Dube smashing an unbeaten 63 off 32 balls. Superstar Virat Kohli, who is playing his first T20I after 14 months, played a 16-ball 29-run cameo. Naveen-ul-Haq cut short Kohli highly promising stay at the crease by having the maestro caught at mid-off .
India’s chase began on a eventful note that saw a first-ball boundary by Yashasvi Jaiswal, a loud shout for an lbw and an unsuccessful Afghanistan review, and a first-ball duck for Rohit Sharma.
Earlier, left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh (3/32) snapped three wickets, while spinners Axar Patel (2/17) and Ravi Bishnoi (2/39) took two each.
