IND vs AFG: India Won the Series, But Shreyas Iyer Won Hearts as Ibrahim Zadran Joined the Trophy Celebration
India completed a dominant 3-0 sweep over Afghanistan in the Friendship Cup, but the biggest talking point from the third T20I in Delhi was not just Abhishek Sharma’s record-breaking century or India’s 127-run victory. It was a beautiful moment after the match when Indian captain Shreyas Iyer invited Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran to join India’s trophy celebration and team photograph.
The gesture quickly caught attention because India had completely dominated the series on the field, yet there was no sense of rubbing the defeat into Afghanistan’s face. Instead, Iyer made sure Zadran was part of the final celebration of a series that was officially called the Friendship Cup.
It was a fitting ending to a series built around cricketing friendship between the two nations.
Shreyas Iyer’s gesture steals the spotlight
After India completed their 127-run victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on September 17, Iyer received the Friendship Cup during the post-match presentation. But rather than simply taking the trophy back to his teammates, he called Ibrahim Zadran onto the podium.
The two captains then shared the trophy moment before moving towards the champions’ board, where the Indian players were waiting for their winning photograph. Iyer also invited Zadran to stand alongside the Indian team for the picture.
The scene was particularly fitting because the series itself had been named the Friendship Cup. Before the first T20I, Iyer and Zadran had also unveiled the trophy together, while Iyer presented the Afghanistan captain with a signed India jersey.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who was on commentary, also praised the gesture, describing the decision to include the opposition captain in the winning team’s photograph as a fantastic moment.
There have been similar examples of teams including opponents in celebratory photographs before, so calling this the first-ever such moment in cricket would be too strong. In fact, a similar gesture was reported after India’s 2018 Test against Afghanistan, when Ajinkya Rahane invited Afghanistan players into India’s trophy photograph.
That context makes Iyer’s gesture even more interesting: it continues a tradition of Indian teams showing respect to Afghanistan after a competitive series.
India dominated Afghanistan from the first ball
While the post-match scenes were full of warmth, India’s performance during the third T20I was anything but gentle.
After winning the toss and batting first, India exploded out of the blocks. Abhishek Sharma produced one of the most extraordinary T20I innings by an Indian batter, reaching his century in just 30 balls.
He eventually finished with 108 runs from 34 deliveries, smashing nine fours and 11 sixes. His hundred was the fastest T20I century by an Indian batter, surpassing Rohit Sharma’s previous record of 35 balls. It was also the third-fastest century overall in men’s T20Is and the fastest against a Full Member nation.
Abhishek’s aggression was visible from the opening over. He raced to his half-century in only 16 balls and continued attacking almost every delivery that came into his hitting zone.
His 108-run knock was eventually ended by Rashid Khan, but by then the damage had already been done.
Sanju Samson adds another fifty
Abhishek wasn’t the only Indian batter who made an impact.
Sanju Samson continued his impressive run in the series with another half-century. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 50 from 35 balls, giving India a strong opening partnership and allowing the middle order to play with freedom.
The pair added 142 runs for the opening wicket, while India also reached 100 runs inside the six-over Powerplay. That became India’s highest-ever Powerplay score in men’s T20Is.
India eventually finished their 20 overs at 221/7, putting Afghanistan under enormous pressure before the chase had even begun.
Afghanistan’s chase collapses
Chasing 222 was always going to require something special from Afghanistan, but India’s bowlers never allowed their opponents to settle.
Afghanistan lost wickets regularly and were eventually bowled out for just 94 in 14.1 overs.
Ibrahim Zadran top-scored with 25, while Azmatullah Omarzai made 17 and Noor Ahmad contributed 11. No other Afghan batter managed to reach double figures.
India’s bowling attack shared the workload.
Nitish Kumar Reddy finished with 3/25, while Ravi Bishnoi also claimed three wickets for 26 runs. Axar Patel picked up two wickets, with Jasprit Bumrah and Yash Thakur taking one apiece.
The 127-run victory completed India’s clean sweep and also gave the team a memorable finish before the players move towards their next assignment.
A series full of records and confidence
The 3-0 result was not simply about the final scoreline. India produced convincing performances throughout the series.
Abhishek Sharma was already in excellent form after scoring 82 in the opening match and 39 in the second. His third-match explosion took his series to another level and earned him both the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards.
Sanju Samson also finished the series with 117 runs, while Nitish Kumar Reddy emerged as one of India’s standout performers with six wickets across the three games. Jasprit Bumrah’s return to the T20I setup was another major positive for India.
The series was also unusual because Afghanistan were officially the hosts despite all three matches being played in Delhi. The Afghanistan Cricket Board selected New Delhi as the venue, meaning India played the series as the visiting side despite being on home soil. Both teams were using the series as preparation for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
That made the Friendship Cup a unique chapter in the India-Afghanistan cricket relationship.
India leave Delhi with more than just a trophy
India’s 3-0 victory will naturally be remembered for Abhishek Sharma’s extraordinary 30-ball century, the 221-run total and the 127-run margin of victory.
But the final photograph may prove to be one of the most memorable images from the series.
Iyer could have celebrated only with his teammates after such a comprehensive victory. Instead, he made space for Ibrahim Zadran, the captain of the defeated Afghanistan side, to share the moment.
That’s what made the scene special.
Cricket is fiercely competitive once the players cross the boundary line, but moments like this remind fans that the sport is also about respect between opponents. The Friendship Cup ended with India lifting the trophy, but the final image showed both captains together.
And perhaps that was exactly how this series was supposed to end.
For India, the focus now shifts towards the 2026 Asian Games, where several members of the squad will have another opportunity to represent the country.
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