#indvafg

On a blazing hot afternoon  game  in Lucknow, India  put on fine all- round show to rout Afghanistan by a massive 170 runs and take 2-0 lead in the three- match ODI series.

🏏 India dominates Afghanistan in the 2026 Test!

A rampant India beat Afghanistan by six wickets in the second T20I to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series .

Gulbadin Naib top-scored with a breezy 35-ball 57 before the lower-order batters Mujeeb Ur Rahman (21 off 9 balls) and Karim Janat (20 off 10) lifted Afghanistan to total of 172.. Najibullah Zadran (23) also chipped in with useful contribution towards the end . Afghanistan scored 38 from the last three overs.

Trailing 0-1 in the three-match series, Afghanistan raced to 20 for no loss in no time, forcing Rohit Sharma to introduce spin in the form of Ravi Bishnoi (2/39). Leg-spinner Bishnoi, who has a penchant for picking a wicket in his first over, did an encore as he lured Gurbaz to offer a catch to Shivam Dube at mid-on, having failed to get elevation.

In reply, India reached the target in 15.4 overs with Yashasvi Jaiswal hitting a 34-ball 68 and Shivam Dube smashing an unbeaten 63 off 32 balls. Superstar Virat Kohli, who is playing his first T20I after 14 months, played a 16-ball 29-run cameo. Naveen-ul-Haq cut short Kohli highly promising stay at the crease by having the maestro caught at mid-off .

India’s chase began on a eventful note that saw a first-ball boundary by Yashasvi Jaiswal, a loud shout for an lbw and an unsuccessful Afghanistan review, and a first-ball duck for Rohit Sharma.

Putting to rest about their future In the T20’s India’s batting mainstays Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli made a high-profile comeback to India’s T20 squad for the three home games against Afghanistan with the former also named captain for the series beginning in Mohali on January 11.

Rohit and Kohli last appeared in a T20 for India in the World Cup semifinal against England in November 2022.

Back then, the two veterans along with KL Rahul were seen to be playing archaic cricket in the powerplay and the team needed to move on from that approach with Hardik Pandya earmarked as the new T20 skipper.

While Rohit’s chances of leading India in the T20 World Cup has considerably brightened, the development comes across as a big blow to Hardik’s captaincy ambitions at the global event in June. However, he has replaced Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians skipper for IPL 2024.

The T20 squad also features Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma, who will be the two glovesmen with Ishan Kishan being ignored for the shortest format.

“Ishan wasn’t happy that he was travelling without much game time. He is on a break right now and is vacationing. In any case, selectors are in all likelihood are looking beyond Kishan.

“It will be interesting if he is picked for England Test series where KS Bharat will be back behind the stumps,” a BCCI source said.

Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, the two Test team certainties, have been rested and Ruturaj Gaikwad isn’t fit to play yet.

All-rounder Shivam Dube has also been named in the squad in Hardik’s absence.

The Afghanistan series will be India’s last before the World Cup, which takes place right after the IPL.