New Delhi, Sept. 15 -- Sanju Samson's explosive 57 off 22 balls and Nitish Kumar Reddy's three-wicket haul powered India to a commanding seven-wicket win over Afghanistan in the second T20I here on Tuesday, giving the hosts an unassailable lead in the three-match series.
Reddy returned with figures of 3/24, striking on the first ball of each of his three overs, as the Indian bowlers produced another disciplined show to restrict Afghanistan to 159 for 8.
India conceded just 64 between overs 7-14 to leave the Afghans struggling at 105 for six in 15 overs, as it was Mohammad Nabi (20) and Rashid Khan (28) who added crucial 48 runs off 28 balls to take them to a decent total in the end.
Chasing 160, openers Samson and Abhishek Sharma (39) brutalised Afghanistan bowlers with sensational hitting, amassing 82-1 in the mandatory powerplay to set the foundation as India eventually romped home in 14.5 overs.
If Abhishek was the protagonist in the opening T20, it was the 31-year-old Samson who clobbered seven foursand four maximums en route to his fastest fifty which came off 20 balls, displaying his immaculate timing and rich arsenal of strokes once again.
Afghanistan's ploy to open with spin at both ends backfired as Abhishek blasted Mujeeb Ur Rahman (3/37) for two fours in the first over, before pulling Nabi for a six in the second.
Samson then picked up a four off Azmatullah Omarzai before Abhishek depositedNabi for his second six in the fourth over as runs came thick and fast.
The Kerala batter exploded in the fifth over as he flicked one off the hips for a six.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.