All rounder Shivam Dube scored a brilliant unbeaten 60 as India beat Afghanistan by six wickets in the first T20I at the Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on Thursday.
After being asked to bat first, Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran got their their side off to a fine start. The pair added 50 runs for the opening stand before Axar Patel broke the stand by dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz stumped by wicket keeper Jitesh Sharma for 23.
Shivam Dube then got into the act by dismissing skipper Ibrahim Zadran caught at short cover for 25. Rahmat Shah (3) then chopped a delivery from Axar onto his stumps as Afghanistan slumped to 57/3.
The pair of Azmatullah Omarzai along with Mohammad Nabi stitched together a partnership of 68 runs for the fifth wicket stand before the former was dismissed by Mukesh Kumar for 29.
In the very same over Mohammad Nabi fell to a fine diving catch by Rinku Singh at sweeper cover off Mukesh for a quickfire 27 ball-42.
Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat scored some lusty hits towards the end to take Afghanistan to a competitive score of 158/5 in their 20 overs.
Chasing 159, India got off to a disastrous start as skipper Rohit Sharma was run out following a mix up with his partner Shubman Gill for a duck.
Gill looked good for a brief while, before being stumped by a googly from Mujeeb Ur Rahman for 23. The pair of Tilak Varma along with Shivam Dube put on 44 runs for the third wicket stand before the former fell to a superb catch from Gulbadin Naib at deep backward square for 26.
Dube featured in yet another 45 run stand for the third wicket alongside Jitesh Sharma before the latter was caught in deep while trying to take on Mujeeb for 31.
Dube (60)* took the Men in Blue past the finishing line by smashing a six and a four off Naveen-ul- Haq, as the hosts overall the target with 15 balls to spare. Rinku Singh was not out on 16.