Cricket

IND vs AFG LIVE Score, 1st T20I 2026: Bumrah gives India a blockbuster start with Gurbaz's wicket in the first over

September 13, 2026

Jasprit Bumrah marked his comeback from an injury break in style, striking in the very first over to dismiss Rahmanullah Gurbaz during the opening T20I between India and Afghanistan at New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium. Despite the early breakthrough, Afghanistan progressed to 29 for 1 after three overs, propelled by clean boundary-hitting from Sediqullah Atal against Bumrah.

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was also introduced into the early bowling attack.

This three-fixture encounter serves as critical preparation for the upcoming Asian Games. Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, India fielded a youthful squad that faced significant top-order selection dilemmas involving Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi alongside fitness considerations around Ishan Kishan.

Afghanistan, captained by Ibrahim Zadran and functioning as the designated host nation for the series in India, sought to challenge the home side's unblemished historical record in this matchup.

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