Abhishek Sharma’s 30-Ball Hundred Powers India’s 3-0 Sweep
On a heavy, hazy evening at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, India didn’t just complete a 3-0 sweep. They tore through Afghanistan with a performance that felt less like a dead rubber and more like a statement.
Abhishek Sharma lit the fuse. The bowlers blew the game apart. By the time it was done, Afghanistan were 94 all out in 14.1 overs, crushed by 127 runs in a chase that never really started.
A Powerplay From Another Planet
Afghanistan won the toss, chose to bowl, and within six overs probably wished they hadn’t.
Abhishek walked out with Sanju Samson and immediately turned Delhi into his own hitting range. He reached fifty in 16 balls, striking at 345.45, and the numbers barely did justice to the chaos. Anything even remotely in his arc disappeared — 8 fours, 7 sixes in that early burst alone.
Ibrahim Zadran threw the ball to Mohammad Nabi to slow things down, banking on experience and off-spin to drag India back. It backfired brutally. Abhishek dismantled Nabi for 29 in the over, stepping out, swinging across the line, and treating one of Afghanistan’s senior men like a net bowler. At six overs, India were 100 without loss. The crowd knew they were watching something outrageous; Afghanistan knew they were in trouble.
A Hundred at Breakneck Speed
The carnage didn’t stop with the field spread.
Abhishek kept clearing the ropes, kept threading gaps, kept forcing Afghanistan’s bowlers into panic. He reached his hundred in just 30 balls — 9 fours, 10 sixes — an innings that will sit comfortably among the most destructive T20I knocks India has seen.
Afghanistan finally found a crack in the 10th over. Rashid Khan, who had watched the slaughter from the outfield, came on and teased an edge. Abhishek, on 108, nicked behind to Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The stadium stood to applaud; Afghanistan exhaled for the first time all evening.
Rashid then created another opening, this time with his fielding. A sharp piece of work saw Tilak Varma run out for 2 in the 12th over, a rare moment where India’s charge briefly stuttered. At 155/2 after 12, though, the damage was already immense.
Samson Steadies, Afghanistan Claw Back Late
While wickets fell around him, Samson played the anchor and aggressor in one. He moved to 44* off 31 by the 12-over mark, picking his moments, rotating strike, and allowing the innings to keep its shape after Abhishek’s exit. Shreyas Iyer joined him, looking to set up a final assault.
Afghanistan, to their credit, refused to completely disintegrate. Azmatullah Omarzai struck twice in a key phase, removing Samson for a well-constructed 50 and then prising out Shivam Dube for 14. Across a four-over block, India were held to 36 runs, their once-rampant run rate finally dragged under 12 an over. At 191/4 after 16, India were still in control, but the talk of 240 suddenly sounded ambitious.
The death overs belonged to Afghanistan. Fazalhaq Farooqi hit his lengths, and Abdollah Ahmadzai was outstanding under pressure. Ahmadzai nailed his wide yorkers, denied India the big finish they were hunting, and gave up just 38 runs in his full spell while also dismissing Nitish Kumar Reddy. Across the last 24 balls, India managed only two boundaries.
From the position they were in, 221/7 felt slightly under par for the assault they had launched. In the context of the chase, it proved more than enough.
Axar and Bumrah Rip Out the Top
Afghanistan needed a flying start. They got the opposite.
Axar Patel, operating with the new ball, went straight at the stumps and was rewarded. He bowled Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 15, then had Sediqullah Atal caught by Abhishek Sharma in the same over. Two top-order batters gone, the chase already wobbling.
Jasprit Bumrah then turned the screws. In the fifth over, he produced the kind of ball that has haunted batters worldwide — full, fast, and unforgiving. Darwish Rasooli lasted one delivery, castled for a golden duck.
Ibrahim Zadran briefly counter-punched. His 25 off 16 hinted at resistance, a captain trying to drag his side into the contest. Yash Thakur ended that hope early in the sixth over, Ishan Kishan completing the catch to leave Afghanistan 47/4 at the end of the Powerplay.
The target was still 175 runs away. The game, in truth, was already gone.
Bishnoi, Axar Squeeze; Nitish Reddy Finishes the Job
Afghanistan tried to rebuild through Noor ul Rahman and Azmatullah Omarzai. They added 23 runs, enough to at least slow India’s momentum and quieten the crowd for a brief spell.
Ravi Bishnoi broke that stand in the ninth over, having Noor caught by Nitish Kumar Reddy for 11. From there, India’s spinners took full control. Bishnoi and Axar operated in tandem, choking the scoring, dragging the run rate into the realms of fantasy. Across a six-over block, they leaked just 31 runs. Every dot ball tightened the noose.
Then came the over that ended everything.
Brought back in the 12th, Nitish Kumar Reddy tore through Afghanistan’s middle and lower order in one devastating spell. His first ball cleaned up Mohammad Nabi for 8. Two deliveries later, he removed Azmatullah Omarzai, Afghanistan’s top-scorer with 17. Before the over was done, he rattled Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s stumps as well.
From 81/5 to 82/8 in five balls. The chase didn’t just falter; it collapsed in on itself.
The tail offered little resistance. India’s bowlers hunted in a pack, and the end came swiftly. Afghanistan were bundled out for 94 in 14.1 overs, a ruthless finish to a one-sided contest.
A Whitewash With a Message
India’s 127-run win wrapped up a 3-0 series whitewash that will please the dressing room for more than just the margin. Abhishek Sharma’s 30-ball hundred announced a new-force option at the top. Samson’s runs across the series eased questions over his place. The bowlers, reshuffled in Varun Chakravarthy’s absence, still found ways to dominate.
For Afghanistan, the night underlined a familiar problem: when their senior core misfires, the gaps show quickly. Rashid Khan and Nabi couldn’t halt the onslaught with the ball; the top order crumbled under pressure with the bat.
India arrived in Delhi with the series already secured. They leave with a squad brimming with runs, wickets, and selection headaches — the kind every captain and selector secretly enjoys before a packed calendar and the looming Asian Games.
