‘We were quite short’: Ibrahim Zadran laments another sub-par total as Afghanistan surrender T20I series to India

Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran heaped praise on Gulbadin Naib for an excellent knock against India in the second T20I in Indore on Sunday, but lamented the lack of support for the all-rounder that resulted in the team posting another below-par total. The Afghans suffered a second successive six-wicket loss against the Indians to surrender the three-match T20I series with a game to spare.

Naib, who was promoted to No 3 on Sunday after not even getting to bat in Mohali three days ago, smashed a 35-ball 57 that contained five fours and four sixes, bringing up his half-century in just 28 deliveries. His fiery knock would help the Afghans reach 58/2 at the end of the powerplay, a marked improvement from their batting performance in the series opener.

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Despite the fireworks off Naib’s bat, the Afghans could only manage 172 at a venue that has a reputation for being a batter’s paradise where the average first innings score is in excess of 200.

“We were quite short. We had a good start in the powerplay. Sometimes we play well in the powerplay, sometimes in the middle, and sometimes in the death overs. We are going for the T20 World Cup, so we don’t want to repeat these. Gulbadin is the most senior guy in the team; we trust him. He played very well,” Afghanistan captain Zadran, who is filling in for the unfit Rashid Khan in this series, said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

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The trio of Najibullah Zadran (23), Karim Janat (20) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (21) attempted a late fight back to get the Afghans within touching distance of the 200-mark. The visitors, however, would lose four wickets in their final over to set India 173 to win, a target that the Men in Blue would overhaul in less than 16 overs thanks to blazing fifties from Yashasvi Jaiswal (68) and Shivam Dube (63 not out).

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel played a crucial role in restricting the Afghans below the 180-mark with another outstanding spell of bowling, conceding just 17 runs for two wickets in four overs that included the prized scalp of Naib in the 12th over. Patel, who is targeting a place in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup later this year after missing out on the ODI World Cup recently, was later awarded the Player of the Match for his performance.

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