Afghanistan playing its home series against India in Delhi shows the strong bond between the two countries: DDCA President Rohan Jaitley

India beat Afghanistan by 7 wkts in Opener — Abhishek Sharma Blazes 82 Off 32

Delhi, Sept 13: India kicked off the 3-match T20I bilateral vs Afghanistan with a comfortable 7-wicket win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Chasing just 157, India closed it off in 13.4 overs, dropping only 3 wkts.

Man of the Match: Abhishek Sharma laid down a marker with a quickfire 82 off 32 balls — the kind of explosive top-order innings that sets the tone for the whole series.

Why it matters: Both squads are using this bilateral as hard prep for the Asian Games, so results here count as form-building, not just bragging rights. Next two games are tdy-adjacent — Sept 15 & 17, same venue.

The bigger picture: DDCA President Rohan Jaitley flagged the significance of Afghanistan playing a home series in Delhi, pulling in a 28,000+ crowd. He framed it around Modi's neighbourly diplomacy angle, plus a nod to BCCI/ICC's Jay Shah for making it happen alongside the BRICS Summit wrap-up.

Side note: Mohammad Kaif has publicly questioned Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's omission from India's playing XI — a selection debate worth watching before the next match.

Bottom line: strong India win, a young all-rounder announcing himself, and both teams stacking Ws on the road to Hangzhou.

Source: Crictracker