1st T20I: Omarzai’s late counter-attacking fifty takes Afghanistan to 156/8 against India
New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) Seam-bowling all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai mounted a sensational late counter-attack by hitting 64 not out to propel Afghanistan to a respectable 156/8 after the ‘hosts’ suffered an early batting collapse against India in the first T20I here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday.
Jasprit Bumrah made an immediate impact on his return to international action after India elected to bowl by removing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck in the opening over. Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal briefly steadied the innings before a middle-order slide led to Afghanistan being reduced to 43/5 in seven overs.
But Afghanistan mounted a recovery through Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi, as they shared an 83-run partnership off 56 balls. Following Nabi’s departure for 33, Afghanistan lost further wickets in quick succession, but Omarzai hung around to push the total past 150 through an unbeaten 64 off 44 balls, laced with four boundaries and as many sixes.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was India’s standout bowler with figures of 3-19, while Bumrah had 1-26. Spinners Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy maintained a tight stump-to-stump line and picked up a wicket apiece to keep the pressure on Afghanistan. What would concern India, though, was the fifth-bowler quota shared among Nitish Kumar Reddy, Abhishek Sharma, and Shivam Dube, who conceded 59 runs at an economy rate of 14.75.
After winning the toss, India struck almost immediately as Bumrah extracted steep bounce to force a simple catch off Gurbaz’s glove edge to Abhishek Sharma at first slip. Arshdeep provided support from the other end, but Sediqullah Atal produced brief fireworks in the third over, picking up a boundary and a flat six off Bumrah.
But Afghanistan’s momentum was quickly halted when Zadran was caught short of his crease following a sharp throw from Ishan Kishan. Arshdeep then removed Atal when his mis-timed stroke was caught comfortably by gully.
With spin introduced early in the bowling attack, Axar made an instant impact when Gulbadin Naib to point, while Chakaravarthy, returning to the international fold, struck in his opening over by cleaning up Darwish Rasooli with a skidding delivery that rattled the leg stump.
From 43/5, veteran Nabi (33 off 27 balls) and Omarzai then stabilised the innings with a steady partnership. With Reddy not in his elements, Nabi and Omarzai had no issues in hitting him and Abhishek for boundaries, including the former producing a magnificent straight six off the seam-bowling all-rounder.
But Nabi fell to Arshdeep’s clever change of pace when a slower ball left his stumps in a mess. Arshdeep quickly added a third to his tally by removing Rashid Khan, while a sharp direct hit from Shreyas Iyer ran out Noor Ahmad in the 19th over.
After completing his fifty in 39 balls, Omarzai took full charge in the final over bowled by Dube by smashing him for two massive sixes over long-on and deep extra cover, before Mujeeb Ur Rahman took successive boundaries off him to take Afghanistan past 150, something which looked a distant possibility in the seventh over of the innings.
Brief Scores: Afghanistan 156/8 in 20 overs (Azmatullah Omarzai 64 not out, Mohammad Nabi 33; Arshdeep Singh 3-19, Varun Chakaravarthy 1-16) against India
–IANS
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