Arshdeep Singh also took two wickets. India defeated Afghanistan by seven wickets in the second T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. After choosing to bowl first, India restricted Afghanistan to 159/8 in 20 overs. Captain Ibrahim Zadran scored 37 runs, while Rashid Khan contributed 28 runs from 16 balls. For India, Nitish Kumar Reddy was the standout bowler, taking 3 wickets for 24 runs. Chasing 160, India got off to a blistering start as openers Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma took the attack to the Afghan bowlers, piling up 82 runs in the first six overs.
Amid pressure over his spot in the team, Sanju Samson smashed a sensational 22-ball 57 to take India to victory in the second T20I against Afghanistan on Tuesday.
Rashid struck again in the 11th over to remove Indian captain Shreyas Iyer, but Afghanistan could not build on the breakthrough. Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi replaced mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who was ruled out of the remainder of the series with a side strain. Ishan Kishan, unbeaten on 38, and Tilak Varma, unbeaten on 15, calmly guided India across the finish line. After winning the toss, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer opted to bowl first and made one change to the playing 11. Nitish Kumar Reddy made an immediate impact, removing Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran for 37 with his very first delivery of the match. Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan then launched a late counterattack, adding 48 runs from just 28 deliveries. Nabi scored 20 off 14 balls, while Rashid contributed a brisk 28 off 16 balls to take Afghanistan closer to the 160-run mark.
