Sanju Samson Shines as India Clinches T20 Series Victory Against Afghanistan

Sanju Samson delivered a stellar performance with 57 runs off 22 balls as India secured a commanding seven-wicket victory over Afghanistan, clinching the three-match T20 series with a game to spare on Tuesday.

Samson struck four sixes and seven fours to record his first half-century since the T20 World Cup final earlier this year, where he earned player of the tournament honors. His opening partner, Abhishek Sharma, contributed a quickfire 39 off 19 balls—featuring four sixes—as the duo put on an explosive 88-run stand in just 38 deliveries. India successfully chased the target, finishing at 163-3 in 14.5 overs, mirroring their seven-wicket win in the opening match at the same venue on Sunday.

Afghanistan, playing as hosts in this unique series arrangement, once again posted an under-par total after India won the toss and elected to field. All-rounder Nitish Reddy claimed 3-24 in his three overs, restricting Afghanistan to 159-8 in their allotted 20 overs.

Samson and Sharma raced out of the blocks, propelling India to 82-0 during the powerplay. Despite Afghanistan turning to spin early in the innings, the strategy failed to yield immediate results. Rashid Khan provided the breakthrough in the seventh over, dismissing Sharma caught at deep midwicket. Samson quickly notched his seventh T20 half-century off just 20 balls before holing out to long-off, giving Khan his second wicket. By then, India had reached the 100-run mark in 7.1 overs, marking their joint second-quickest team milestone since 2024.

Captain Shreyas Iyer became Khan's third victim, caught at slip, but Ishan Kishan (38 not out) and Tilak Varma (15 not out) comfortably guided India across the finish line.

Earlier, sent in to bat, Afghanistan endured another shaky start when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for his second consecutive duck by Arshdeep Singh. Captain Ibrahim Zadran contributed 37 off 33 balls to stabilize the innings through the powerplay. However, the hosts slipped from 59-2 to 100-6 during the middle overs as Reddy struck twice.

Afghanistan managed a late recovery courtesy of a resilient 48-run partnership off 28 balls between Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. Khan scored 28 off 16 balls with three fours and a six, while Nabi added 20 off 14 balls.