Afghanistan vs India Cricket Team Players: Who Starred in the 3-0 T20I Sweep

Searches for afghanistan national cricket team vs india national cricket team players spiked in India after the three-match Friendship Cup T20I series in September 2026, which India swept 3-0. The short answer: Abhishek Sharma was the standout with a record-breaking century in the third T20I, Sanju Samson rediscovered form with a blazing fifty, and Nitish Kumar Reddy and Axar Patel led the bowling. For Afghanistan, captain Ibrahim Zadran was the lone consistent batting presence in a series of collapses.

Abhishek Sharma's record century headlines the series

In the third T20I in New Delhi on 17 September 2026, Abhishek Sharma smashed 108 off just 34 balls, propelling India to 221/7 and a 127-run win. The Times of India liveblog described it as a "30-ball century" — the fastest by an Indian in T20Is — while the detailed scorecard recorded his final score as 108 off 34 balls. He was named Player of the Match and Player of the Series, finishing with 229 runs at a strike rate of 269.41.

Sanju Samson's return to form

In the second T20I, chasing 160, Samson smashed 57 off 22 balls and shared an 88-run opening stand with Abhishek in 6.2 overs as India won by seven wickets. The innings mattered because Samson had managed scores of 5, 0, 1, 27 and 10 in his five previous outings. He told the ICC the approach was a continuation of the method that made India T20 World Cup 2026 champions, where he was Player of the Tournament with 321 runs.

Bowlers who sealed the whitewash

Afghanistan were bowled out for 94 in 14.1 overs in the third T20I. Key Indian bowling performances:

• Nitish Kumar Reddy: 3/25, including three wickets in a single over
• Axar Patel: 2/9 in three overs, striking twice in his first over in the Powerplay
• Ravi Bishnoi: three wickets, wrapping up the innings
• Jasprit Bumrah: a trademark yorker to dismiss Rasooli

India won the first two matches by seven wickets each before the 127-run rout in the finale, with Shreyas Iyer captaining the side.

Afghanistan's players: intent but no conversion

Apart from Ibrahim Zadran, no Afghan batter crossed 20 in the third T20I as the team slid from 31/0 to 94 all out. Zadran admitted afterwards that losing "wickets in clusters" was the problem and called for more series against top-ranked sides. Rashid Khan contributed with ball and in the field, and debutant Abdollah Ahmadzai had a decent first outing — rare positives in a one-sided contest. One caveat: this was Afghanistan's first T20I series since the World Cup, so a single poor series is a small sample to judge their batting by.

What comes next

Both teams headed to the Asian Games after the series. India earned direct qualification to the quarter-finals, while Afghanistan were scheduled to open their group campaign against Japan on 24 September 2026. India also had a one-off T20I against Japan lined up on 22 September 2026.

Related: भारत बनाम अफ़ग़ानिस्तान: Abhishek Sharma's 30-Ball Century Powers India to 3-0 Friendship Cup Sweep