Sanju Samson's Fastest T20I Fifty Seals a 7-Wicket Win as India Take the Afghanistan Series 2-0

India wrapped up the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan with a match to spare, beating them by seven wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on September 15 to move to 2-0, a day after Varun Chakaravarthy was ruled out through injury.

Afghanistan restricted to 159/8

Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to field, and India's bowlers made early inroads count. Nitish Kumar Reddy was the pick of the attack, finishing with 3 for 24 and being named Player of the Match, as Afghanistan were held to 159 for 8 in their 20 overs — a total that looked competitive on paper but never troubled India's chase.

Samson's fastest T20I fifty blows the game open

India's reply started as explosively as the first T20I had. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma put on 82 inside the six-over powerplay, with Samson reaching fifty off just 20 balls — the fastest half-century of his T20I career — on his way to 57 off 22. Rashid Khan was Afghanistan's lone wicket-taker, removing Abhishek for 39 off 19, Samson and Shreyas Iyer to finish with 3 for 36, but the early damage was already done. Ishan Kishan (38 not out) and Tilak Varma (15 not out) saw India home at 163 for 3 with 14.5 overs still remaining.

A series win with the dead rubber still to come

With the series already decided, the third T20I on September 17 at the same Delhi venue becomes a chance for India to rotate combinations just a week before the squad reassembles for the Asian Games in Japan, where several of this XI — including Samson, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Bumrah — are also named. Afghanistan, for their part, will be looking to avoid a series whitewash on what was technically a home fixture played entirely on Indian soil.

Analysis: depth, not just headline form, is the takeaway

Samson's innings is the standout number from the match, but the more useful signal for India's team management is how comfortably the side won despite fielding a bowling attack short of Chakaravarthy — Nitish Kumar Reddy's spell suggests India's third-seamer options are deeper than the pre-series template assumed. Two wins from two, built on different match-ups each time, gives the think tank real freedom to experiment in the dead rubber without risking the series result.

Following the series

The third T20I is covered ball-by-ball on SportGod's live matches page, with AI-powered match predictions published ahead of the game and fantasy contests open in SportGod's free games.

The scorecard, player figures and series scoreline are verified against same-day match reports, current as of September 16, 2026.