Abhishek’s Blitzkrieg

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field, hoping to exploit any early moisture. What followed was an assault of the highest order. Abhishek Sharma, who had already scored 82 and 39 in the first two T20Is, took his game to another level entirely.Source: Indian Express

He raced to his fifty in just 15 balls, then reached his century in 30 deliveries – the fastest ever by an Indian, surpassing Rohit Sharma’s 35-ball effort against Sri Lanka in 2017. It was also the third-fastest century in men’s T20I history and the quickest by any batter from a Full Member nation.Source: The Statesman

Abhishek’s 108 off 34 balls included nine fours and eleven sixes. His strike rate of 317.64 was a demolition of Afghanistan’s bowling attack. He shared a 142-run opening stand with Sanju Samson off just 59 balls.Source: ESPNcricinfo

Samson’s Supporting Role

While Abhishek tore into the bowlers at one end, Sanju Samson played the perfect foil. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 50 off 35 balls, his second consecutive half-century of the series. He rotated strike intelligently and ensured Abhishek kept the bulk of the strike.Source: Indian Express

Once both openers fell, India’s middle order struggled to maintain the momentum. From 142/0 in 9.5 overs, India slipped to 221/7, with Shreyas Iyer (29) and Shivam Dube (14) providing brief cameos. Rashid Khan was brilliant in the field, taking two stunning catches and effecting a run-out, while Azmatullah Omarzai finished with 2/27.Source: CricTracker

The Bowling Rout

Chasing 222, Afghanistan’s chase never got going. Jasprit Bumrah struck with the very first ball, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a golden duck. Axar Patel then took two quick wickets, and Nitish Kumar Reddy produced a devastating three-wicket over in the 12th over, dismissing Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in succession.Source: News18

Ravi Bishnoi cleaned up the tail, finishing with 3/26. Afghanistan were bowled out for 94 in 14.1 overs, their batting collapse complete. Only Ibrahim Zadran (25) and Azmatullah Omarzai (17) reached double figures.Source: Indian Express

Abhishek Sharma’s 108 off 34 balls was an innings for the ages. He became the first Indian to score a 30-ball T20I century and equalled Virat Kohli’s record for most centuries in the format for India (3). His 229 runs in the series at a strike rate of 269.41 earned him the Player of the Series award as well.Source: News18

His celebration – a Haaland-style meditation pose – went viral, though he later clarified it was rooted in his own meditation practice rather than an imitation of the football star.Source: India Today

Nitish Kumar Reddy continued his impressive series with another three-wicket haul, his second in consecutive matches. His triple-wicket over in the 12th over – dismissing Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman – broke Afghanistan’s back.Source: News18

His ability to bowl crucial overs in the middle and death has strengthened his case as a long-term replacement for Hardik Pandya.Source: Dailyhunt

Ravi Bishnoi was the perfect complement to Reddy, taking 3/26 in 3.1 overs. His googly and variations proved too much for Afghanistan’s lower order, as he wrapped up the innings in the 15th over.Source: Indian Express

The Afghanistan captain was the only batter to offer any resistance, scoring 25 off 18 balls. He admitted after the match that losing wickets in clusters was the key issue: “We lost wickets in clusters. We need to carry the intent through the entire innings.”Source: News18