India Seal the Series 2-0: Abhishek, Samson and Arshdeep Star Against Afghanistan in Delhi

There are series that keep you on the edge of your seat, and there are series where one team simply decides the matter early and goes home before the third act. India's September 2026 T20I meeting with Afghanistan belonged firmly to the second kind. Two matches at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium, two seven-wicket wins, and a 2-0 lead with a game still in hand. By the time the teams gathered for the dead rubber on 17 September, the trophy was already decided.

That should not take anything away from the contest, though. Afghanistan arrived as a genuine T20 side, not a soft touch, and they made India work for the wickets even if they could not defend their totals. For the home fans, this three-match leg was a lovely little appetiser before a packed home season, and it doubled up as India's last T20I outing before the Asian Games men's cricket competition began on 24 September. India came in warm too, fresh off a 3-0 sweep of Zimbabwe, and they carried that momentum straight into the capital.

The opener: Abhishek Sharma sets the tone

The first T20I on 13 September set the template for everything that followed. Shreyas Iyer, leading the side with Tilak Varma as his deputy, won the toss and had no hesitation in bowling first under the Delhi lights. Afghanistan posted 156 for 8, and honestly, that was largely down to one man. Azmatullah Omarzai played a lovely knock of 64 not out off 44 balls, and Mohammad Nabi chipped in with a busy 33. Without them, the total would have looked thin.

India's bowling had a comforting familiarity to it, mostly because two big names were back in the XI. Both Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy returned from injury, and while Bumrah picked up a wicket, the real damage came from Arshdeep Singh, who finished with 3 for 19. Axar Patel and Chakravarthy kept things tight through the middle.

Then came the chase, and with it, the innings of the series. Abhishek Sharma walked out and simply took the game away from Afghanistan, smashing 82 off just 32 balls. Ishan Kishan gave him excellent company with 42, the pair adding 121 in a blur, and India cantered home to 157 for 3 in only 13.4 overs, with a ridiculous 38 balls to spare. Nabi's 2 for 28 was the pick of the Afghan bowling, but on a night like that, the numbers barely mattered. Abhishek walked away with the Player of the Match award, and India led 1-0.

The clincher: Reddy's triple strike and Samson's cameo

Two nights later, on 15 September, the story rhymed almost perfectly. Iyer won the toss again, bowled again, and this time Afghanistan managed 159 for 8. Their new full-time T20I captain Ibrahim Zadran, who has taken over the leadership from Rashid Khan for this format, top-scored with 37, while Rashid himself made a handy 28 off 16 and Nabi added a brisk 20.

The bowling highlight, though, was pure theatre. Nitish Kumar Reddy took 3 for 24 and did something you rarely see: he took a wicket with the very first ball of each of his three overs. That is the kind of stat cricket lovers file away and bring up years later. Arshdeep again led the attack, continuing his fine series.

The chase was even more brutal than the first. Sanju Samson produced a stunning 57 off just 22 balls, Abhishek kept the openings flying with 39 off 19, and Ishan Kishan finished unbeaten on 38. India reached 163 for 3 in 14.5 overs, winning by seven wickets with 31 balls to spare and sealing the series 2-0. Rashid Khan's three-wicket haul was a proud effort in a losing cause. Reddy, fittingly, took the Player of the Match. One tactical note for the record: Ravi Bishnoi came in for the injured Chakravarthy, ruled out with a side strain picked up in the opener, and slotted straight into a spin-heavy plan.

What the series told us about India's bench

For an Indian fan, the most interesting thread here was depth. India used this series to look at combinations, and the cupboard is frighteningly full. Two keeper-batters in Samson and Kishan, both scoring runs. A young talent like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi carried in the squad. Spin options stacked deep with Chakravarthy, Bishnoi, Axar and Washington Sundar. A pace unit led by Bumrah and Arshdeep, with Yash Thakur and the seam-bowling of Nitish Kumar Reddy in support. When you can win a series 2-0 while still experimenting, you are in a healthy place ahead of a long home summer. If you like keeping track of squads, fixtures and live scores in one place, a cricket id makes following a busy calendar like this a lot simpler.

Afghanistan's rise, and the IPL faces you already know

Afghanistan lost, but nobody watching should write them off. Their strength is real, built on batting hitters like Omarzai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz and a spin arsenal that is the envy of most nations: Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Nangyal Kharoti. Naveen-ul-Haq's return added to their pace stocks too. On the right surface, that attack can strangle anyone.

Part of why Indian fans warm to this team is simple recognition. So many of these cricketers are IPL regulars, thoroughly at home in Indian conditions. Rashid Khan has long been a Gujarat Titans mainstay. Gurbaz has lit up powerplays for Kolkata. Noor Ahmad has turned games for Chennai. Omarzai, Nabi, Gulbadin Naib and Mujeeb all carry that franchise-cricket pedigree. If the IPL thread is what draws you into these Afghan stars, an IPL cricket ID helps you follow those same names through the league season too.

So the ledger reads 2-0 to India, sealed inside two games, with plenty still to admire from the visitors. The dead rubber on 17 September was a chance for fringe players to state a case, but the headline was written the moment Samson pulled that final boundary in match two. India, deep and ruthless, march on to a big season. If you ever have a question about fixtures or need a hand, feel free to Contact Us.

Enjoy the cricket for what it is: a fine contest between two sides that keep pushing each other to get better.