AFG vs IND 3rd T20I Results

6:26 PM IST Friendship Cup, living up to its name - Shreyas Iyer receives the trophy from DDCA president Rohan Jaitley, with Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran joining him for the presentation. The pair then carry it towards the WINNERS board, where the Indian players are eagerly waiting for their winning photographs. And what a heartwarming moment this is! The Indian players invite Ibrahim to join their celebrations, turning a team photograph into a beautiful display of camaraderie and friendship. This has been a historic series in many ways, with Afghanistan serving as the hosts on Indian soil. Ibrahim now steps away as the Indian support staff comes in to pose for the photographs.

6:15 PM IST The victorious Indian captain - Shreyas Iyer says he would not describe India's approach as bullying, pointing out that Afghanistan had come to India to host the series. He adds that India knew they would be batting first and did well to put up a challenging total. Reckons it was not an easy wicket, but the way Abhishek played, it was pleasing to the eye. On Axar Patel's contribution in the Powerplay, Iyer says Axar had done it in the past and had continued to perform consistently in that phase over the years.

6:14 PM IST Over and out from the capital - And with that, the curtains come down on a one-sided three-match T20I series, as the Men in Blue complete a dominant 3-0 sweep. Afghanistan, on the other hand, have a lot of soul-searching to do. India now turn their attention to the next white-ball assignment, which promises to mark another historic beginning. They will travel to the Land of the Rising Sun for a one-off T20I against Japan, opening a brand-new chapter in the growing cricketing landscape on Tuesday, September 22. Afghanistan will also head to Japan for the Asian Games, where they will begin their group stage campaign against Japan on Thursday, September 24. India have earned a direct qualification to the quarter-finals there. But for now, you can switch tabs to follow all the updates from the second T20I between England and Sri Lanka from Cardiff. Cheers.

6:11 PM IST PLAYER OF THE MATCH AND SERIES - ABHISHEK SHARMA takes home both awards for his consistent batting display. He scored a blazing 108 off just 34 balls ​​​​​​tonight. Overall, he scored 229 runs in the series at an insane strike rate of 269.41. Abhishek Sharma says the team had been following an aggressive approach for the last two years and that one or two poor series would not define them as a batting unit. He adds that the focus had always been on dominating throughout the year ahead of the World Cup, regardless of the opposition. Abhishek acknowledges that performances can go up and down for a cricketer, but says the team's momentum, mindset and ability to stay united and focus on the next game had been crucial to their approach. On producing hundreds despite his high-risk style, Abhishek says it had all come down to trusting the process and being clear about which bowlers he wanted to take on. He adds that playing in such a manner required the backing of the coach and captain, and feels that support had allowed the team to follow this approach for the last few years. Abhishek says he did not want to restrict any particular area of the ground and instead wanted to express himself by watching the ball and hitting it. He underlines that success could not be guaranteed every time, but says India had built a culture around maximising the Powerplay and continuing to play with the same intent.

6:06 PM IST The captain of Afghanistan - Ibrahim Zadran reflects on this defeat. He admits that it was really disappointing. Quickly adds that he was pleased to see the intent in the Powerplay. Tonight's problem, in his view, came down to losing wickets in clusters. He admits the team has been thinking hard about how to carry that intent through an entire innings rather than just the start. He admits that there have been a series or two of struggles along the way, but backs the process to pay off with time, stressing that without intent, competing with the top international sides simply isn't possible. On getting more opportunities to play against stronger teams, Zadran notes that this was Afghanistan's first T20I series since the World Cup after a long gap. He says the team needs to play more matches and series, particularly against the top-ranked sides, to improve their level. Says while Afghanistan do play against teams such as Zimbabwe and Ireland, he believes regular contests against the biggest teams would help them progress further. Speaking about Axar Patel's ability to bowl in the Powerplay, Zadran says the Indian all-rounder has done it successfully in the past and continued to deliver in critical situations. He adds that Axar thinks deeply about his game and knows when the team needs him to step up.

5:39 PM IST ... The post-match Presentation ...