WATCH: Abhishek Sharma goes berserk, smashes 82 as India thrash Afghanistan in first T20I

Abhishek Sharma played a sensational innings to guide India to a comfortable seven-wicket victory in the first T20I against Afghanistan. The left-hander smashed 82 runs at a strike rate of 256 and helped India chase down the target of 157 with 38 balls to spare at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday.

India have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Abhishek dominates from the start

Abhishek was in complete control throughout his knock. He hit seven fours and seven sixes and brought up his fifty in only 22 balls. After Sanju Samson fell early for 10 off eight balls, Abhishek took charge and completely changed the course of the chase.

He shared a massive 121-run partnership for the second wicket with Ishan Kishan. The stand came off just 53 balls. In that partnership, Abhishek scored 76 runs off only 27 deliveries while Kishan contributed 42 off 33 balls. The pair left the Afghanistan bowlers with no answers.

Abhishek Sharma doing what he does best

Stream the Afghanistan vs India T20I series LIVE only on FanCode #AFGvIND pic.twitter.com/M6C9cEspAY

— FanCode (@FanCode) September 13, 2026

Afghanistan struggle with the bat

Earlier, Afghanistan were asked to bat first and made a poor start. Jasprit Bumrah struck on the second ball of the match, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck. The visitors slipped to 43 for five and looked in deep trouble.

Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai then fought back with an 83-run stand for the sixth wicket. Omarzai remained unbeaten on 64 off 44 balls with four fours and four sixes. Nabi made 33. Afghanistan finally finished at 156.

Arshdeep Singh was the best bowler for India with three wickets for 19 runs. Bumrah, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy took one wicket each.

India seal victory in style

Once Abhishek and Kishan got going, the chase never looked difficult. Afghanistan’s bowlers, including Fazalhaq Farooqi who conceded 38 runs in just two overs, came under heavy attack. India reached the target in only 13.4 overs, wrapping up a dominant performance.

Abhishek Sharma will look to continue this form in the remaining games of the series.