Arshdeep Singh takes 3 for 19 as India's bowlers reduce Afghanistan to 43 for 5

India's four frontline bowlers shared the wickets in Delhi to leave Afghanistan 43 for 5 inside seven overs, and only Azmatullah Omarzai's unbeaten 64 dragged the innings up to 156 for 8

Arshdeep Singh took 3 for 19 and Jasprit Bumrah struck with the first over of his comeback as India held Afghanistan to 156 for 8 in the first T20I at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, a target the hosts passed with 38 balls to spare.

Shreyas Iyer won the toss and bowled, and the decision was vindicated inside the powerplay. Afghanistan were 41 for 4 after six overs and 43 for 5 in the seventh, with four bowlers and a run-out accounting for the top order.

Only Azmatullah Omarzai, unbeaten on 64 from 44 balls, and an 83-run sixth-wicket stand with Mohammad Nabi kept the innings alive. India went 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Bumrah strikes in his first over back

Bumrah was playing his first T20I since IPL 2026 and needed one over to justify the recall, having Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught for a duck in the opening over of the match.

Afghanistan's second wicket was self-inflicted. Ibrahim Zadran, leading the side in his first series as T20I captain, was run out in the fourth over after a sharp piece of fielding from Ishan Kishan.

Bumrah closed his spell with the 18th over, which cost three runs, and finished with 1 for 26 from four.

Four bowlers share the powerplay damage

Arshdeep struck in the fifth over with a wide yorker that Sediqullah Atal steered to Bumrah at short third for 13.

Axar Patel then had Gulbadin Naib caught in the outfield by Nitish Kumar Reddy for 2, leaving Afghanistan 41 for 4 at the end of the powerplay.

Varun Chakaravarthy made it five down in the seventh, bowling Darwish Rasooli for 2. He conceded just 16 runs from his four overs, the tightest spell of the night.

Omarzai and Nabi rebuild

Omarzai and Nabi put on 83 for the sixth wicket, the only substantial partnership of the innings, and waited until the 15th over to take risks.

They took 17 from Reddy in that over and 16 from Axar in the next, moving Afghanistan past 100.

Arshdeep broke the stand in the 17th, bowling Nabi for a 27-ball 33, then returned in the 19th to remove Rashid Khan for 1 and Noor Ahmad for a duck.

A costly last over for Dube

Omarzai reached his fifty in that penultimate over and, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman for company, took 21 runs from the final over bowled by Shivam Dube to carry Afghanistan to 156. His 64 contained four fours and four sixes.

Iyer defended the choice of bowler afterwards. "Honestly speaking, there was no choice. And you saw that it is a bit unfair for Dube as well coming in for the 20th over, not able to gauge the pace of the wicket," he said, adding that Dube would "go and analyse what areas he needs to work on".

The 21 runs accounted for more than an eighth of Afghanistan's total, and still left them short of a defendable score on a surface where India's openers scored at better than eleven an over.

Iyer's first win at home

The seven-wicket result was Iyer's first as India captain on Indian soil, following series defeats to Ireland and England and a series win in Zimbabwe.

"Everyone worked in synergy towards the success," he said. "Bumrah is a great asset for the team, and, you know, giving that start, creating the momentum for all the bowlers coming in. Arshdeep also, he bowled brilliantly, followed by Axar and Varun, the way they bowled, it was a phenomenal effort."

The second and third matches of the series are also in Delhi, on 15 and 17 September.

Scorecard: Afghanistan 156 for 8 in 20 overs (Azmatullah Omarzai 64*, Mohammad Nabi 33; Arshdeep Singh 3 for 19, Varun Chakaravarthy 1 for 16, Jasprit Bumrah 1 for 26, Axar Patel 1 for 27); India 157 for 3 in 13.4 overs (Abhishek Sharma 82, Ishan Kishan 42). India won by seven wickets.

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