India vs Afghanistan Highlights, 2nd T20: Shivam Dube and Yashasvi Jaiswal help IND win by 6 wickets in Indore and clinch the series 2-0

We were quite short. We had a good start but not very good after that. Sometimes we play well in the powerplay, sometimes in the middle and sometimes at the death. We need to build the momentum throughout and not repeat mistakes to have a good T20 World Cup. (On Gulbadin Naib) He's the most senior guy, we trust him and when he played a few shots in the powerplay, we wanted him to take that momentum throughout the innings.

The skipper is really happy with my performance, he told me well played. (On Jaiswal) We both are stroke players, we know our game. My role was to take on the spinners, but our plan was to both attack and finish the game early. There wasn't any target in mind, but we should have finished the game earlier. There are many things that I have worked on, apart from skill it is about how mentally you prepare for the T20 game. How to handle pressure, and deciding which bowlers to take on. It isn't important to hit every ball. I have been working on my bowling as well, happy that it worked out in the first game but not as much today. But that is how T20 cricket is.

Anyone expecting fireworks from Kohli or Rohit would have been pleasantly surprised with what has unfolded in this chase today. Two youngsters, Dube and Jaiswal, took India to a win. With that,, the hosts seal the series. As per Afghanistan, they have looked disappointing in all departments in this series thus far. Thanks for your coverage; stay with us for post-match comments. 

India is a couple of hits away from victory. This has been a remarkable hitting and extraordinary display of power from Dube. The wicket was good to bat, but boy, oh boy, what clean striking it was. One reminiscent of the likes of Pollard and Yuvraj. 

Rahmat Shah picked up two wickets in an over. First, it was Jaiswal who was caught by the keeper, and then Jitesh, who tried to finish the game quickly by clearing the in-field, ended up giving a simple catch to the mid-on fielder. 

Dube has reached his 50 now. This has been a hitting masterclass from Dube Stand and Deliver. The Indian fans who have seen an inspired performance from Afghanistan in the World Cup would be utterly disappointed in this series. 

This is going from bad to worse for the Afghan bowlers here. Though the batting team has not put in enough effort, the bowling has been shell-shocked by the quality of hitting by the Indian batters. If the batters play this way, the game can finish quickly. 

We have reached the first water break and it has been India all over Afghanistan bowling. In that last over against Dube, Nabi took a proper pasting. It has been all too easy for India at the moment, and Afghanistan bowling without Rashid Khan looks a shadow of itself.

Noor Ahmed tossed one up, and Dube hit it into the stands, and he pulled back his length after that. Though it is a sensible call given the situation of the game what Afghanistan needs is wickets not keeping runs under control. 

Nabi has been brought into the attack with two left-handers at the crease. He needs to build the pressure here by picking wickets, as there is no rate pressure with the way batters are going. 

Noor has been brought into the attack for the first time in the game. The onus is on him to pick a few quick wickets and pull Afghanistan back into the game or things are looking pretty dire at the moment. 

Naveen picks up Kohli as the batter tries to play a lofted shot over covers; however, he cannot time and gets caught. Dube, who had a fantastic game, has come into bat. All the damage that could be done has been done in this powerplay by the Indians. 

Jaiswal, too, is playing a lovely hand here. He is not letting the bowlers settle. Anything short or too full has been sent to the boundary. Looks like dew has settled in and the batting on this surface has become exceptionally easy. 

Virat Kohli is playing a super knock here. Usually, we have seen this with the star batter, where he tends to go after the bowling in the Powerplay and slows down once the field is spread.

Farooqi, in his second over, pitched a few short ones, and Jaiswal pulled them for massive sixes here. Initially, at the break, it felt like Afghanistan was 10-15 runs short. But now, with the start India has got, it looks like they are well 30-40 runs short. 

Well, Kohli has started quickly off the blocks here, and it looks like he means business here. Mujeeb has been brought into the attack from the other end. He bowled an expensive over, letting all the pressure build by Farooqi in that over in vain. 

Rohit Sharma, charging down the track, missed the ball, but Farooqi didn't miss him, and the ball hit the stumps—the second duck in a row for Rohit in the series. Virat Kohli has walked into the middle. 

Apart from Gulbadin's innings, there has been nothing from the Afghan batters. Arshdeep Singh has been brilliant with the ball. The left-arm-seamer has been top-notch with his slower ones. Apart from that, the spinners did a decent job. It is a pretty chasable total for India and it will take something special from Afghan bowlers to stop them. 

Shivam Dube was given the responsibility of bowling the 19th over of the innings, and he bowled quite an expensive one. Though Dube has improved his bowling a lot, he is still not equipped to bowl in these stages of the innings. As we update, Arshdeep picks another. 

Arshdeep Singh is giving a masterclass here. He is bowling some lovely slower ones, which the batters need to pick. Kudos to him for realizing the surface is gripping a bit, hence showing his full range of slower ones. 

Bishnoi is done for the day. It has been a mixed bag for him. However, what is important to note is the times at which he bowled today. He slipped in a couple during powerplay and bowled a couple at the death as well. As we update, Arshdeep picks a wicket. 

Sundar has been once again brilliant today, making a strong case for him being involved in that T20 World Cup squad for 2024. He today, on a flat wicket, bowled tightly. He came up with a plan to bowl on this surface and stuck to it, which worked. 

The middle overs of Afghanistan have been a major problem in this series so far. They have only looked to hit the boundaries, and there was no intention of strike rotation whatsoever against the spinners, which has caused the downfall of the visitors in these two games. 

Arshdeep Singh has been brought into the attack here. He bowled a few slower ones, though they were not gripping off the surface. He was bowling different types of slower ones, preventing the batters from lining him up. It has been a good few overs for India. There is a stop in the flow of run scoring. Afghanistan needs help to afford to do that. They have to keep going after the bowlers. As we update Bishnoi picks Nabi who tried to take the bowler on and gets caught at the boundary. 

Afghanistan is on its way to getting a good score here, but the question is, is it enough to stop this powerful Indian batting lineup? 180 is a bare minimum on this wicket, and if Nabi can get his innings going, Afghanistan can get close to that 200-mark. 

Sundar has been brought into the attack for the first time in the game. It is a brave call from Rohit Sharma with two right-handers in the middle. Sundar kept darting the ball quickly into the pads of the batters not letting them get any room. As we update Axar gets Gulabadin. The batter tried to swipe what seemed to be a short one; however, Rohit at mid-wicket took a simple catch. Much needed breakthrough for India as the partnership was looking ominous. 

We have reached the first water break and it has been shared half so far. However, India picked up three wickets. Afghanistan, courtesy of Gulbadin, has kept scoring runs and not let the run rate drop. However, the challenge is to keep it going in the second half as well.

Dube was given the second over, and he created a chance, which Kohli dropped on the boundary. Gulabadin is playing a good knock here, keeping Afghanistan in the game in terms of scoring rate. Anything loose, he is latching onto them.

Shivam Dube has been introduced into the attack, and in that very first over, he has picked the wicket of Omarzai. The ball kept a touch low as the batter tried to play an ugly swipe and got bowled. The momentum has swung in favor of India now for the last 15 minutes or so. India needs to keep chipping away with wickets here as these are still excellent conditions to bat on. Only picking wickets can contain the batters here. 

Axar Patel took the ball for that final over the powerplay. He tossed one up, asking Zadran to drive one. The ball pitched and turned away to hit the top of the off-stump. Though Afghanistan has lost two wickets, this has been a good power play for them. 

Gulabaddin has walked into the middle for Afghanistan, and it looks like he has been sent to inject some pace into the innings. At the end from which Mukesh is bowling at the moment, the odd-ball is keeping a touch low. There is something to work for the Pacers from that end. However, apart from that, Afghanistan would be utterly disappointed if they cannot get to 180 runs at least. Also, mind you, it is one of those grounds. Though boundaries are small, chasing is very difficult. 

Mukesh took the new ball from the other end. One of the balls he bowled hit an indentation on the pitch and jagged back sharply into the right-hander Gurbaz. He was given not-out on-field. However, Rohit reviewed the decision, and on ball-tracking, it showed that the impact was on the umpire's call. As we update, Gurbaz, trying to hit Bishnoi over the in-field, gets caught by Shivam Dube at mid-on. The leg-spinner has made a habit of picking wickets in powerplay. Here, he does it again. 

There is no swing from Arshdeep whatsoever in that very first over. The ball was going in straight lines, and Gurbaz just could hit it through the line. Expect a lot of runs today, something to chase for the chase master Virat Kohli.

Virat Kohli is back in the side. However, we will see India bowl first. Usually, it is one of the best wickets to bat on in the country. We have to see how Indian bowlers adapt to the conditions and dimensions of the ground. Stay with us for all the updates. 

"Traditionally a high scoring venue and that is because of a smaller ground, 60 and 63 meters either side. It is a flat pitch. I don't think the ball will move around much. Even the cracks that are present are hard. There might be a bit of movement with the new ball otherwise it is a batting paradise. Dew will also be a factor in the second innings. So, win the toss and bowl first," reckon Nick Knight and Deep Dasgupta.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Rohit Sharma(c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma(w), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar

We will try to bat well today and put runs on the board. Again lost the toss and I would have wanted to bowl first. We spoke about the first game and worked in the net session yesterday. We did not have a good start with the bat in the last game, we spoke and hopefully we can give a good start today. Rahmat is not playing. Noor Ahmad is playing.

We are gonna bowl first. No particular reason. Just nature of the ground especially the small boundaries. The things we were talking in our meeting, we were able to come out and execute that in the first game. We asked specific roles from the guys and they performed accordingly. Not much, they don't have any baggage and it is all about backing them, allow them to be free on the ground. We will do things keeping the WC in mind but we know results are also important. Kohli and Jaiswal back for Gill and Tilak.

Axar Patel suffered a quadriceps injury during the Asia Cup and missed the World Cup, but he says he has worked on his bowling during rehabilitation at the NCA and has added “5 to 10 per cent”.

“It was an unfortunate injury, but it was not the first time I was injured. My mindset during the rehab is how I can improve my game. In the NCA, I worked a lot on my bowling. I have worked consciously to add 5 to 10 per cent in my bowling,” Axar Patel told the reporters after the match. “Against Australia, I have started varying my pace and started using the crease. As a left-arm spinner, you don’t have much variation, I can’t bowl googlies like a leg-spinner,” he said. (Read more from Pratyush Raj)

Amir Hussain Lone, hailing from Waghama village in Kashmir, lost his arms at the age of eight while working at his father’s mill. However, he still had hope and kept honing his cricketing skills and eventually, a teacher discovered his talent and introduced him to professional sport.

“After the accident, I didn’t lose hope and worked hard. I can do everything by myself and I am not dependent on anyone. No one helped me after my accident. Not even the government supported me, but my family was always there for me,” said Amir, as quoted by ANI. (Read more about Amir)

“Ishan Kishan was not available for selection. He requested for a break in South Africa which we agreed to. He has not made himself available for selection and when he does, I am sure he’ll play domestic cricket and make himself available for selection,” Dravid said.

The Indian Express understands the Jharkhand player will not be playing the Ranji Trophy and will play the IPL directly.

As the controversy surrounding Ishan Kishan and his non inclusion in the Indian cricket team for the Afghanistan series continues to simmer, the batter posted a small video on X and Instagram, where he shared a glimpse of his day.

In the video, the Mumbai Indians batter was seen meditating to start his day and then went to the ground and took part in various exercises like running and hurdles.

Ahead of their second match against Afghanistan in Indore, the members of team India in a video shared by the BCCI.tv said what they are looking forward to during their stay in India’s cleanest city.

The video starts with Kuldeep Yadav, who says, “There are so many cricketing memories from Indore. The food and the famous Sarafa market is what I am looking forward to.”

Commenting on Djokovic’s batting prowess, Kohli said: “I think he’s way better than swinging the cricket bat than we are at swinging the tennis racquet. I think Steve did pretty well to return his serve. When you have good hand-eye coordination, you think you can also do that. But I have seen tennis matches live, so I know how fast those serves are. But it would be nice to play tennis with Novak as well. Probably the only thing I can teach him is how to hold a cricket bat.”

“Virat Kohli and I have been texting a little bit for a few years. We never got the chance to meet in person, but it was an honour and privilege to listen to him speak nicely about me. I admire his career and his achievements. I started to play cricket. I’m not very good at it. I have a task to perfect my cricket skills before I get to India so that I don’t embarrass myself when I am there,” he recently revealed on Sony Sports.

India will look to seal the 3-match T20I series against Afghanistan when they take them on in the second match on Sunday at Indore. In the last match, Shivam Dube’s heroics helped them defeat a buoyant Afghan outfit who are bereft of their premier off spinner Rashid Khan.

Khan will still be on the sidelines on Sunday but India will be further strengthened with the return of Virat Kohli who comes back into the T20I fold for the first time since the T20I World Cup. He’ll be hoping that his return goes better than his captain Rohit Sharma who was out for a duck in the first T20I due to a mix-up with Shubman Gill.

"We have to improve our fielding, we were a bit lazy. We'll try to improve our batting as well. In bowling, there's no issue.

"(I) was playing after a long time, and batting at number four there was some pressure on me. I had one thing in my mind that I have to play my game. First 2-3 balls, I felt a bit of pressure, after that I just focused on the ball and didn't think much on what's going on. In T20s, I know how I bat, and I know I can hit big sixes, so I can generate runs any time."

Virat Kohli will mark his return to India’s T20 international playing XI since that T20 World Cup semifinal loss against England in Adelaide. With Kohli returning, Tilak Varma, who has been one of the regulars in the shorter format, might have to make way. There are high chances that Kohli will bat in his favourite No. 3 position, but head coach Rahul Dravid has not closed the doors on Virat, opening the innings with captain Rohit Sharma.

On the eve of the first match, Rahul Dravid made it clear that Yashasvi Jaiswal will open with Rohit Sharma, but the Mumbai batter was ruled out from the Mohali match due to groin injury. In his absence, local boy Shubman Gill scored a quickfire 12-ball 23 and was also involved in a hara-kiri that cost captain Rohit Sharma his wicket. If Jaiswal is fit then it would be interesting to see, how India will fit Gill in the playing XI.

Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai tore apart Ravi Bishnoi in the first match. The Afghans picked up the leg-spinner’s googly quite comfortably and attacked him from the ball one. Bishnoi might lose his place to chinaman Kuldeep Yadav, who was adjudged player of the series in South Africa.

Local boy Avesh Khan might come in for Washington Sundar on a high-scoring venue. Washington with the ball looked off, while he didn’t get the chance with the bat. It will be an interesting call, if India goes with Avesh because it will weaken their batting line-up in the lower order.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan

Hello, and welcome to our live blog for the second T20I. With Virat Kohli returning to the side, there are no prizes for guessing what today's game will be all about. As per the series, it is business as usual. India has won the first game and wants to seal the series in the side's happy hunting ground, Indore. Please stay with us to catch all the live action.