"He's Pretty Inconsistent": Sanju Samson Gets Blunt Verdict After Another Poor Show In T20Is

Almost everything went India's way in the first T20I against Afghanistan. Abhishek Sharma scored 82 off 32 balls, hitting seven sixes and seven fours, as India beat Afghanistan by seven wickets with 38 balls remaining in the opening T20I on Sunday. Ishan Kishan contributed 42 off 33 balls and added 121 runs off just 53 deliveries with Sharma for the second wicket as India cruised to an easy win, finishing at 157/3 in 13.4 overs.

However, there was one concern. Sanju Samson was dismissed for 10 off eight balls. His last four T20I innings read 27, 1, 0 and 5. His lean patch comes at a time when Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is waiting in the wings. This time as well, Sooryavanshi was included in the squad but was not picked in the playing XI on Sunday.

"Sanju Samson doesn't help his own cause; he's pretty inconsistent," Sanjay Manjrekar said on commentary during his stint with Murali Kartik.

Earlier, Afghanistan were restricted to 156/8 in their 20 overs, with left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh taking 3/19 in four overs.

Afghanistan are the designated home team for this three-match series. The official hosts were put into bat after India's Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bowl. Afghanistan slumped to 43/5 in seven overs.

Azmatullah Omarzai scored an unbeaten 64 off 44 balls, while Mohammad Nabi chipped in with 33.

The second and third T20Is will be played at the same venue on Tuesday and Thursday.

Chasing 157 for victory, India lost Sanju Samson for 10 after he was caught off Omarzai.

But Sharma set a frantic pace, racing to 50 off 22 balls, his 12th half-century for India in T20Is. He and Kishan powered India to 82/1 in the powerplay.

India crossed the 100-run mark in 8.2 overs, just as Sharma reached his fifty. Both Sharma and Kishan fell to off-spinner Mohammad Nabi in the 11th and 13th overs respectively, but it was too little, too late. Nabi returned figures of 2/28 in three overs.

Put into bat, Afghanistan got off to a poor start, with hard-hitting Rahmanullah Gurbaz dismissed for a two-ball duck by Jasprit Bumrah. The Indian pacer had returned from a leg injury sustained during the England tour.

Skipper Ibrahim Zadran was run out for 11, while Arshdeep picked up his first wicket when Sediqullah Atal was dismissed for 13.

Omarzai scored an unbeaten half-century, his second in T20Is, and added 83 runs with Nabi to revive the innings. The duo struck six sixes between them, but Afghanistan still finished with an under-par total as Arshdeep applied the brakes with two wickets at the death.

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