2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 1st T20I vs Afghanistan

Team India clinched a comfortable victory in tough conditions in Mohali as they beat Afghanistan by six wickets on Thursday, January 11. With the win, the hosts secured a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

India won with 15 balls to spare, but it wasn't a complete performance. There were a few things they could've done better, and they will be intent on ticking off every box. Only two more T20Is will be played by the Men in Blue ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup, and time is running out.

Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by Team India in the first T20I against Afghanistan.

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#3 Mistake - India didn't play out Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Afghanistan's premier spinner picked up two scalps

Mujeeb Ur Rahman was clearly Afghanistan's biggest threat with the ball. Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and Qais Ahmad didn't play for the visitors, and the fast bowlers didn't find much purchase.

However, India weren't cautious enough against Mujeeb despite having the other bowlers to attack. Shubman Gill struck two boundaries off the spinner but immediately attempted a wild hoick across the line, only to be stumped. Jitesh Sharma, meanwhile, slogged one to long-on in the spinner's last over, when India were coasting towards the target.

Gill and Jitesh could've taken a leaf out of Dube's book. The tall southpaw played out a maiden in the last over of the powerplay, knowing that there wasn't any pressure from the asking rate, before capitalizing thereafter. Speaking of...

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#2 Masterstroke - India picked Shivam Dube and used him in his ideal role

With Virat Kohli missing the first T20I due to personal reasons, India had some decisions to make with respect to their playing XI. They had Sanju Samson, who recently compiled his maiden international ton in South Africa, as an option.

But the team management went with a two-pacer combination, meaning that they opted for Shivam Dube instead. They did this despite having a leftie-heavy batting lineup, and that was understandable like Dube is one of the best players of off-spin in the country.

The move paid off. Dube batted at No. 4, giving him enough time to take on spin while also allowing him time to get set before attacking against pace. The 30-year-old struck the ball well and kept the scoreboard moving. It was a welcome change from the last series, where he was wrongly used as a finisher.

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#1 Mistake - Ravi Bishnoi was introduced too late

Ravi Bishnoi couldn't carry forward the form he showed against Australia

Playing with just two fast bowlers, it was obvious that India needed to get their finger-spinners' overs out of the way early. However, they pushed the tactic too far by waiting for half the innings to pass before introducing Ravi Bishnoi.

Once the leg-spinner came to bowl, he was confronted by two set Afghan batters, who pumped anything in their arc over the ropes. Bishnoi's lack of accuracy didn't help matters as he floated ones up and also dragged the odd ball short. He was taken for 35 runs in three overs as India squandered the advantage of the initial pressure they had built.

Bishnoi should've bowled at least an over or two in the first half, instead of being held back.

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