The Afghanistan national cricket team vs India national cricket team match scorecard shows that India had a good performance in the first T20I of Afghanistan’s 2026 tour of India. On September 13, 2026, the match took place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. After winning the toss, India chose to bowl first and held Afghanistan to 156/8 in 20 overs. Azmatullah Omarzai scored 64 not out, and Mohammad Nabi added 33 runs.
In response to the first innings total of 156/6, India reached the winning score of 157/3 after only 13.4 overs. Abhishek Sharma scored a blistering 82 off 32 balls and Ishan Kishan contributed 42. India won by seven wickets and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Match Details
The first T20 international match that took place between India and Afghanistan was quite interesting. It was close in terms of being a competitive game but India showed much greater dominance when batting in the second half of the game. Afghanistan had trouble maintaining a consistent run-scoring rate due to the quick loss of its opening batsmen. But, Omarzai and Nabi did help the team get to a reasonable score.
India’s bowlers did a good job during key parts of the game to keep Afghanistan from putting up a large total. After that, India’s batsmen took an aggressive stance against the opposition which allowed them to easily run down the required number of runs.
| Match Information | Details |
| Match | Afghanistan vs India, 1st T20I |
| Series | Afghanistan Tour of India 2026 |
| Date | September 13, 2026 |
| Venue | Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi |
| Format | T20 International |
| Toss | India won and elected to field |
| Afghanistan Score | 156/8 (20 Overs) |
| India Score | 157/3 (13.4 Overs) |
| Match Result | India won by 7 wickets |
| Player of the Match | Abhishek Sharma |
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Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Match Scorecard
The Afghanistan national cricket team vs India national cricket team match scorecard shows how both teams performed during the first T20I. Afghanistan started poorly and lost several wickets during the powerplay. Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi provided some stability with their batting contributions.
India’s bowling attack shared the responsibility of taking wickets, with Arshdeep Singh leading the attack. During the chase, Abhishek Sharma produced an outstanding innings and helped India reach the target without facing much pressure.
Afghanistan Batting Scorecard
Afghanistan’s innings ended with 156 runs on the board and 8 wickets lost in 20 overs. Afghanistan’s first wicket fell when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed. Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal were unable to capitalize on their good starts and turn them into significant contributions to the score.
The most productive batsman in the match was Azmatullah Omarzai, who stayed at the crease until the end of the game, making 64 runs off of 44 balls. In addition, Mohammad Nabi made a strong contribution with his 33 run effort. Finally, Mujeeb Ur Rahman provided some late momentum to the team with nine runs from only three deliveries.
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | c Abhishek b Bumrah | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | Run out | 11 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Sediqullah Atal | c Bumrah b Arshdeep | 13 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
| Gulbadin Naib | c Nitish b Axar | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Darwish Rasooli | b Varun | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | Not Out | 64 | 44 | 4 | 4 |
| Mohammad Nabi | b Arshdeep | 33 | 27 | 2 | 2 |
| Rashid Khan | c Axar b Arshdeep | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Noor Ahmad | Run out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | Not Out | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | Did Not Bat | – | – | – | – |
| Extras | – | 21 | – | – | – |
| Total | 20 Overs | 156/8 |
India’s Bowling Scorecard
The Indian bowlers made a major contribution to limiting Afghanistan to 156 runs. Arshdeep Singh was the top performing bowler, with three wickets for 19 runs during his four-over spell. Singh’s discipline as a bowler created pressure on the Afghan batters.
Varun Chakaravarthy delivered an economical spell as well, giving up just 16 runs and picking up one wicket. Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel were able to pick up a single wicket as well, while the other bowlers contributed to the overall attack.
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 4 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 6.50 |
| Arshdeep Singh | 4 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 4.75 |
| Axar Patel | 4 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 6.75 |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | 4 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 4.00 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | 2 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 15.00 |
| Abhishek Sharma | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8.00 |
| Shivam Dube | 1 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 21.00 |
India Batting Scorecard
India started their run chase aggressively. After scoring ten runs off eight balls, Sanju Samson was dismissed by Azmatullah Omarzai. Samson’s early dismissal didn’t stop India’s momentum.
In addition to building a crucial partnership, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan turned the tide of the game. Abhishek went after the Afghanistan bowlers right from the start of his innings. Ishan Kishan was able to rotate the strike and play aggressive shots when he had the chance. The team reached 157 for 3 in only 13.4 overs.
Indian Batters’ Performance
Abhishek Sharma was the top scorer with the bat, hitting 82 runs off 32 balls. His innings had seven fours and seven sixes which gave India a great scoring rate.
Ishan Kishan scored 42 runs in 33 deliveries, hit five fours and one six. Tilak Varma remained not out after scoring three, and Shreyas Iyer was undefeated at eight.
| Batter | Dismissal | R | B | 4s | 6s |
| Sanju Samson | c Rasooli b Omarzai | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Abhishek Sharma | c Rashid b Nabi | 82 | 32 | 7 | 7 |
| Ishan Kishan | c Rashid b Nabi | 42 | 33 | 5 | 1 |
| Shreyas Iyer | Not Out | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Tilak Varma | Not Out | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Nitish Kumar Reddy | Did Not Bat | – | – | – | – |
| Shivam Dube | Did Not Bat | – | – | – | – |
| Axar Patel | Did Not Bat | – | – | – | – |
| Arshdeep Singh | Did Not Bat | – | – | – | – |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Did Not Bat | – | – | – | – |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | Did Not Bat | – | – | – | – |
| Extras | – | 12 | – | – | – |
| Total | 13.4 Overs | 157/3 |
Afghanistan’s Bowling Scorecard
The aggressive batting performance from India was hard for the bowlers of Afghanistan to contain. It was Azmatullah Omarzai who broke through for Afghanistan, when he dismissed Sanju Samson. Following that, Mohammad Nabi took two crucial wickets of India’s lineup, taking out both Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.
The remaining bowlers were unable to manage the scoring rate. Rashid Khan allowed 34 runs in his 3.4 overs with zero wickets, and Fazalhaq Farooqi gave up 38 runs during his 2 overs.
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | 2 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 19.00 |
| Mujeeb Ur Rahman | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 8.00 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | 1 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 14.00 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 3 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 9.33 |
| Rashid Khan | 3.4 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 9.27 |
| Noor Ahmad | 2 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 12.50 |
Top Performers of the Match
There were several key performances from both sides in the first T20 International. The main reason for India’s quick win in the chase was Abhishek Sharma’s aggressive batting. Arshdeep Singh also contributed significantly to India’s victory with his three wickets.
Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi both made strong runs in order to keep Afghanistan in the game against India. However, even with these strong performances, they could not stop India from winning by a large margin.
| Player | Team | Performance |
| Abhishek Sharma | India | 82 runs off 32 balls |
| Ishan Kishan | India | 42 runs off 33 balls |
| Arshdeep Singh | India | 3 wickets for 19 runs |
| Varun Chakaravarthy | India | 1 wicket for 16 runs |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | Afghanistan | 64 not out off 44 balls |
| Mohammad Nabi | Afghanistan | 33 runs off 27 balls and 2 wickets |
Player of the Match
Abhishek Sharma was named player of the match after he delivered an exceptional batting performance. He scored 82 runs in only 32 balls, which included 7 fours and 7 sixes.
His aggressive playing style put pressure on Afghanistan, and the required total appeared smaller than it actually was. His batting average for the tournament was 256.25, and this is considered one of the best batting displays of the entire tournament.
How the Match Progressed
The first inning started with India choosing to bowl first when they won the toss. The Indian bowlers immediately applied pressure to Afghanistan by getting rid of Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a zero. Afghanistan lost several other wickets in the beginning stages of the match, thus affecting their ability to score at a faster pace.
Omarzai and Nabi made a good partnership which allowed Afghanistan to get back on track. This allowed the team to post a score of 156/8. In response to India’s innings, Abhishek Sharma took charge of the chase by attacking the ball with his strokes, and Ishan Kishan gave him great support. India chased down the total in 13.4 overs.
Important Match Highlights
- India won the toss and decided to bowl first.
- Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz early in the innings.
- Arshdeep Singh finished with three wickets for 19 runs.
- Azmatullah Omarzai scored an unbeaten 64 for Afghanistan.
- Mohammad Nabi contributed 33 runs and took two wickets.
- Abhishek Sharma smashed 82 runs from 32 balls.
- India chased the target in 13.4 overs.
- India won the opening T20I by seven wickets.
Afghanistan vs India 1st T20I: Key Match Statistics
The stats from the game show that India was better than Afghanistan in both aspects of the sport, i.e., pitching and hitting. Afghanistan scored 156 runs; however, India had a significantly faster run rate when chasing down those runs.
The differences between the two teams were especially apparent in the batting department. India had an aggressive style of batting and was able to win the game with 38 balls left.
| Match Statistics | Afghanistan | India |
| Total Runs | 156 | 157 |
| Wickets Lost | 8 | 3 |
| Overs Played | 20 | 13.4 |
| Run Rate | 7.80 | 11.49 |
| Result | Lost | Won |
| Highest Individual Score | Omarzai (64*) | Abhishek (82) |
FAQs About Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Match Scorecard
Q1. Who won the Afghanistan vs India 1st T20I in 2026?
India won the first T20I against Afghanistan by seven wickets. The team successfully chased the target of 157 runs in 13.4 overs.
Q2. What was Afghanistan’s score against India?
Afghanistan scored 156/8 in 20 overs. Azmatullah Omarzai was the highest scorer with an unbeaten 64 runs from 44 balls.
Q3. What was India’s score in the first T20I?
India scored 157/3 in 13.4 overs while chasing Afghanistan’s target of 157 runs.
Q4. Who was the highest run-scorer in the match?
Abhishek Sharma was the highest run-scorer, scoring 82 runs from 32 deliveries. His innings included seven fours and seven sixes.
Q5. Who took the most wickets for India?
Arshdeep Singh was India’s leading wicket-taker. He picked up three wickets for 19 runs in four overs.
Q6. Who won the Player of the Match award?
Abhishek Sharma received the Player of the Match award for his outstanding innings of 82 runs, which helped India secure a comfortable victory.
Conclusion
India’s performance in the opening T20I of their 2026 series against the Afghanistan national cricket team has resulted in an impressive scorecard for the Indian national cricket team. Afghanistan posted 156 runs for 8 wickets, with significant contributions from Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi; however, the Indian bowling attack prevented them from scoring more.
Abhishek Sharma’s top-class knock of 82 runs along with Ishan Kishan’s useful contribution allowed India to reach the target in only 13.4 overs. Arshdeep Singh contributed significantly as well with his three-wicket haul. India ended up winning the game by seven wickets and started off the series on a positive note.
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