Team India on Thursday registered a 6-wicket victory at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium in Mohali, extending their unbeaten streak against Afghanistan in T20Is. India restricted the visitors to 158/5 after opting to bowl first. Axar Patel registered a commendable 2/23 in 4 overs while Mukesh Kumar (2/33) also pocketed a couple of wickets. In reply, Shivam Dube scored a match-winning fifty to hand India a winning start in the 3-match series.
Apart from an intense contest between the two Asian sides, it was the Mohali weather that took a toll on the players. With fog all around and the temperature dropping as below as 7 degrees Celsius, it was a herculean task for the bowlers to keep their bodies warm and bowl in the right areas.
Axar, who was the pick of the bowlers for India, admitted that the weather in Mohali made their task difficult.
“I wasn’t feeling the ball, it was very cold. We knew it was winter and would be cold, but I was only thinking about my bowling, and how to put pressure on them. There was a lot of dew, but I focused on my accuracy,” Axar said during the mid-innings show.
The off-spinner further revealed that he had asked the umpire if he could wear a glove on his non-bowling arm, to which the umpire rejected his request.
“I had asked the umpire if I can wear a glove in one hand, but he said no (Maine umpire se poocha tha ki main ek haanth me gloves pehen ke bowling kar lun, lekin unhone mana kar diya),” he added.
Earlier, a lively 68-run partnership off 43 balls between the seasoned Mohammad Nabi (42) and youthful Azmatullah Omarzai (29) lifted Afghanistan to 158 for five after India dominated the powerplay.
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However, the total posted was not enough in good batting conditions as India got home comfortably in 17.3 overs. Dube, playing his first T20 since the Asian Games, and Tilak Varma (26 off 22) shared a 44-run stand off 29 balls to give Indian innings momentum after losing the openers inside four overs.
Jitesh Sharma (31 off 20) also gave a good account of himself before Rinku Singh (16 not out off 9) joined Dube in the middle and took the team home.
(With Agency Inputs)
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