Mohali: India defeated Afghanistan in the first match of the 3-match T20 series by six wickets to take the series lead by 1-0.
Riding on a half century (60 off 40) and tight bowling spell of Shivam Dube, India chased down the target of 159 set by the visitors. Afghanistan could make only 158 on a batting pitch with the help of 42 off 27 by Mohammad Nabi and 20’s from top three. For India, Axar Patel was the successful bowler with 23/2.
Chasing the total, India lost captain Rohit Sharma (c) for a duck who was runout due to a misunderstanding with his partner Shubman Gill. Cameos from Gill, Tilak Verma and Rinku Singh with a scintillating performance from Dube saw the hosts cross the target in the 18th over. For the visitors, Mujeeb Ur Rahman was the top performer as he took 2 wickets for 22 runs.
Shivam Dube was adjudged player of the match due to his all-round performance.