India made a strong start with the ball against Afghanistan in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday. Captain Shreyas Iyer’s decision to bowl first paid off early as India’s pace attack applied pressure on the Afghanistan top order. India entered the match leading the series 1-0 after a seven-wicket win in the opening game.

Jasprit Bumrah began the innings with a maiden over before Arshdeep Singh dismissed Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck. Afghanistan recovered through captain Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal, but India continued to keep the pressure on. The latest phase of the innings saw Afghanistan lose another important wicket as India looked to strengthen their grip on the contest.

India made one change to their playing XI for the second T20I, with Ravi Bishnoi replacing the injured Varun Chakravarthy. Chakravarthy was ruled out of the remaining matches against Afghanistan after suffering a side strain following the opening T20I. The change gave Bishnoi an opportunity to make an impact with his leg-spin as India sought another disciplined bowling performance.

Also Read: IND vs SL LIVE SCORE, 2nd Test: Devdutt Padikkal Out For 117, India Lose 4th Wicket

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was again not included in India’s playing XI, with Sanju Samson retaining his place. Afghanistan, meanwhile, went into the match with an unchanged team from the opening game. India’s decision to field first also gave their bowlers the opportunity to exploit the conditions before their batting innings.

The match is being played at the same venue where India secured a comfortable victory in the first T20I on Sunday. Chasing Afghanistan’s 156/8, India reached the target in 13.4 overs for the loss of three wickets, with Abhishek Sharma scoring 82 off 32 balls and Ishan Kishan contributing 42. The result gave India a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

India are now aiming to secure the series with another victory, while Afghanistan need a win to level the contest and take the series to a decider. With both sides familiar with the Delhi conditions after the opening match, the second T20I has become an important contest for Afghanistan’s hopes of staying alive in the series and for India’s bid to seal the series early.

Also Read: IND Vs AFG 2nd T20I: India Replace Varun Chakravarthy With Ravi Bishnoi