Okay, so I sat down for this one expecting a genuinely close game. Afghanistan on their day can beat literally anyone — we’ve all seen it happen enough times now that it’s not even a surprise anymore. India, meanwhile, were coming off a packed few months of cricket, the kind of schedule that sometimes leaves teams a little rusty going into a new series. Instead? Match 1 of the Afghanistan vs India series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on September 13, 2026, turned into a bit of a non-event by the halfway point. Seven-wicket win for India. Not even close, really.

Let’s get into what actually happened, because there was a lot more drama packed into this game than the final scoreline gives it credit for.

Quick Scorecard First

• Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
• Toss: India won, chose to field
• Afghanistan: 156/8 in 20 overs (Azmatullah Omarzai 64*, Mohammad Nabi 33; Arshdeep Singh 3/19)
• India: 157/3 in 13.4 overs (Abhishek Sharma 82, Ishan Kishan 42)
• Result: India won by 7 wickets, with 38 balls unused
• Player of the Match: Abhishek Sharma

Right, that’s the headline version. Now here’s the actual story behind those numbers, because a lot happened before the game settled into being one-sided.

Afghanistan’s Top Order Basically Fell Apart

Shreyas Iyer won the toss and put Afghanistan in to bat, and honestly, within about three overs you could already sense it was the right call. Jasprit Bumrah opened the bowling and had Rahmanullah Gurbaz out almost immediately — a nasty delivery that climbed off a length, took the edge, and flew straight into Abhishek Sharma’s hands at first slip. Golden duck. A rough way to start any innings, let alone the opening game of a series everyone’s been looking forward to.

And it just kept happening after that. Ibrahim Zadran was run out going for a single that was never really there. Sediqullah Atal edged one behind to the keeper. Gulbadin Naib and Darwish Rasooli both got out cheap in the space of a few overs, as India’s bowlers refused to let up even slightly. By the time the powerplay had wrapped up, Afghanistan were sitting at 43 for 5 — and in T20 cricket, that’s usually close to a death sentence. Most teams simply don’t come back from a start that bad.

Except Omarzai and Nabi Had Other Plans

This is where the match actually became worth watching. Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi walked out into a genuine mess, and instead of panicking, they just settled in and started rebuilding. The two of them put together an 83-run partnership that completely flipped the mood of the innings.

Omarzai finished unbeaten on 64 off just 44 balls — four fours, four sixes, and a calmness that honestly felt at odds with the chaos that had unfolded before he even arrived at the crease. Nabi did his part too, contributing a brisk 33 off 27 balls before Arshdeep Singh eventually got him. That wicket sparked a bit of a mini-collapse right at the death, with Arshdeep cleaning up the tail and finishing with excellent figures of 3 for 19.

Afghanistan ended up at 156 for 8. Given where they were sitting at 43 for 5, that’s a total the whole dressing room probably walked off reasonably satisfied with. It’s just a shame for them that it wasn’t nearly enough against the form India’s top order happened to be in that night.

Then Abhishek Sharma Turned Up

A target of 157 in 20 overs should have made for a genuinely interesting run-chase. Instead, it lasted 13.4 overs, and honestly, it barely felt competitive past the first six.

I don’t think the word “target” meant a whole lot to Abhishek Sharma that evening. He smashed 82 runs off just 32 balls, and this wasn’t the kind of innings where a batter slowly builds into form — he simply took the game away from Afghanistan before their bowlers had any real chance to settle into a plan. Boundaries were coming from the very first over, and by the time the chase reached its midpoint, the required run rate had basically disappeared entirely.

Ishan Kishan provided solid support at the other end with a well-made 42, and between the two of them, India never had to deal with even a moment of real pressure. India wrapped up the chase at 157 for 3, sealing a seven-wicket win with a massive 38 balls still unused. Unsurprisingly, Abhishek Sharma walked away with the Player of the Match award — an innings that turned what should’ve been a proper tactical run-chase into a formality inside the first half of the game.

Why This Result Actually Matters Going Forward

One match doesn’t decide an entire series, obviously, but this game revealed quite a bit about where both sides currently stand heading into the rest of the fixtures.

India’s New-Ball Bowling Looks Genuinely Dangerous

Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh combined superbly with the new ball, tearing through Afghanistan’s top order inside the powerplay. If Afghanistan can’t find a way to survive those crucial opening overs in the next two matches, they’re going to keep finding themselves fighting from behind exactly like they did here.

Afghanistan’s Middle Order Has Real Quality, Just Not Enough Consistency

The Omarzai-Nabi partnership proved that this Afghanistan side absolutely has players capable of rescuing a bad situation when needed. But no team can build a sustainable series strategy around the middle order bailing out the top order match after match. Gurbaz, Zadran, and the rest need to start contributing more consistently if Afghanistan want any real chance of leveling this series.

Abhishek Sharma Is Playing in a Different Zone Right Now

This clearly wasn’t a one-off flash of brilliance. Sharma has been in outstanding, borderline unstoppable form in T20 cricket for a good while now, and this innings is just the latest reminder of why bowling attacks around the world are still struggling to find a real answer to him.

We Still Haven’t Seen India Under Genuine Pressure

Because Sharma’s innings ended the contest so early, India haven’t actually had to grind through a genuinely tight finish yet in this series. That’s not a concern at all after one dominant win like this, but it’s certainly something worth watching if a match later in the series ends up being closer.

What’s Left in the Afghanistan vs India Series

Both remaining matches will also be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, which is worth noting:

• 2nd T20I — Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 7:30 PM IST
• 3rd T20I — Thursday, September 17, 2026, 7:30 PM IST

Since the venue stays the same, conditions probably won’t shift all that much, which could continue favoring India’s bowlers if the pitch plays in a similar way. For Afghanistan, the situation is fairly simple and not exactly kind — lose the second T20I, and the series is effectively over before the third match has even started. Rashid Khan’s side will need a considerably sharper start with the bat, particularly at the top of the order, if they want any real chance of forcing a decider on September 17.

Quick FAQ on the Afghanistan vs India Series

Bottom Line

This clearly wasn’t the tight, competitive contest a lot of people were expecting from the Afghanistan vs India series opener. Afghanistan showed genuine character with the bat after a brutal start with the ball against them, but India’s disciplined new-ball bowling — and above everything else, Abhishek Sharma simply losing his mind with the bat — made sure the result was never seriously in doubt at any point. The series now stands at 1-0 in India’s favor, and all eyes shift to September 15, when Afghanistan will either find a way to respond properly or risk this turning into a very short series indeed.