India opened their T20I series against Afghanistan with a commanding seven-wicket win at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday, 13 September 2026, with captain Shreyas Iyer crediting the bowling unit's collective effort — and the returning Jasprit Bumrah — as the driving force behind the result. Afghanistan were restricted to 156/8 before India knocked off the target with 38 balls to spare.

Bumrah Sets the Tone

Shreyas Iyer was quick to single out Jasprit Bumrah as the catalyst who set the tone for the entire bowling effort. 'I'm grateful for that, and everyone worked in synergy towards the success and as I mentioned earlier, Bumrah is a great asset to the team, and, you know, giving that start, creating the momentum for all the bowlers coming in,' Iyer said at the post-match presentation.

Bumrah's return added an edge to what was already a well-drilled attack. The combination of express pace at the top and disciplined spin through the middle overs kept Afghanistan hemmed in across all phases of the innings.

Middle Overs Stranglehold

Beyond Bumrah, Iyer was effusive in his praise for the rest of the attack. 'Arshdeep also bowled brilliantly, followed by Axar and Varun; the way they bowled was a phenomenal effort,' the captain said. Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy collectively choked Afghanistan's scoring through the middle phase, denying the opposition any sustained platform after the powerplay.

A notable moment came when Ishan Kishan executed a sharp run-out of Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran, a dismissal that Afghanistan's skipper himself identified as the game's turning point. 'Ishan Kishan grabbed the ball and threw it to the fielder, the bowler. I would say that was the turning point; they got the momentum,' Zadran said.

Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan Seal the Chase

India's chase was effectively settled by an authoritative 121-run opening stand between Abhishek Sharma, who blazed his way to 82, and Ishan Kishan, who contributed 42. Iyer reserved particular praise for both. 'Starting off with Abhishek, I feel that the shots he played were flawless, and some of them were exemplary,' he said.

On Kishan, Iyer pointed to the wicketkeeper-batter's frame of mind as much as his form. 'Talking about Ishan, he's been in great form recently, and the way he's been portraying himself in the dressing room and also on the ground during practice sessions, he's very relaxed, calm, and he knows his game at the moment. So that's a great sign for us as a team.'

Iyer Defends Dube's 20th Over

One talking point from the game was Shivam Dube being handed the final over of Afghanistan's innings. Iyer defended the decision, acknowledging the degree of difficulty involved. 'Honestly speaking, there was no choice. And you saw that it's a bit unfair for Dube as well coming in for the 20th over, not able to gauge the pace of the wicket, how the ball is going to go on,' Iyer said.

He added that the situation was part of the learning process. 'It's absolutely fine because it's a game of cricket, and I'm sure that he'll go and analyze what areas he needs to work on,' Iyer noted, suggesting the all-rounder would be backed to improve.

Afghanistan's Self-Assessment

Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran was candid in his assessment, conceding that his side repeatedly squandered promising platforms. 'We didn't get the result we wanted. I would say we had three good starts, then we didn't contribute well. We gave them back-to-back wickets and they put pressure on us and we batted well in the middle overs, but we didn't put lots of runs on the board,' he said.

The series continues with the second T20I, where Afghanistan will look to bounce back and address their tendency to lose wickets in clusters at crucial junctures.