Shreyas invites Zadran to join India's trophy celebrations, lifts cup together
Shreyas Iyer showed the spirit of the Friendship Cup was about more than just winning as the India captain invited Afghanistan skipper Ibrahim Zadran to join India's trophy celebrations after their 3-0 series sweep in Delhi on Thursday.
During the trophy presentation, Iyer called Zadran to the podium and invited him to share the silverware with the Indian team. He then made sure the Afghanistan captain was part of the winning team photograph, turning the presentation into a moment of sporting camaraderie.
It was a gesture that reflected what sport can be about beyond the result: respect, humility and sportsmanship. India had won the series, but Iyer made sure Afghanistan's captain was part of the celebration.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who was on commentary, was full of praise for the gesture.
"By the opposition and have their skipper join you for a team photograph. Yeah, that is fantastic. Now he has left now and the support staff has joined, and there you go. That's the champion picture that, uh, well, that's the money shot right there. Indian squad and the support staff," Gavaskar said.
The gesture also brought back memories of Afghanistan's historic Test debut against India at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in June 2018.
The match marked a major milestone in Afghanistan's cricketing journey as they became the 12th full member nation of the ICC. India won by an innings and 262 runs inside two days.
At the post-match presentation, stand-in India captain Ajinkya Rahane invited Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan and his teammates to join India for the victory photograph, allowing the two teams to share the moment.
Nearly nine years later, Iyer offered a similar gesture to Zadran after India had completed another comprehensive win over Afghanistan.ABHISHEK PUTS ON A SHOW
Abhishek Sharma's breathtaking 30-ball century helped India complete a series sweep over Afghanistan with a comprehensive 127-run win in the third and final T20 here on Thursday.
After Zadran won the toss and opted to field, Abhishek raced to his hundred in 30 balls and eventually finished with 108 off 34, hitting nine fours and 11 sixes.
The century was the fastest by an Indian in men's T20I cricket, surpassing Rohit Sharma's 35-ball hundred. It was also the fastest T20I century against a Full Member team and the third-fastest overall.
Abhishek's 11 sixes and nine fours accounted for 102 of his 108 runs, giving him the highest percentage of boundary runs in a T20I innings. He also extended his record for centuries scored in 30 balls or fewer and 40 balls or fewer.
India raced to 100 in the first six overs, their highest powerplay score in T20Is, but Afghanistan fought back as the innings progressed. India eventually finished on 221 for seven, with Sanju Samson contributing a second successive half-century.
Afghanistan's chase never got going. Rahmanullah Gurbaz made 15 off 11 balls and Sediqullah Atal scored one before both fell to Axar Patel in the powerplay.
Jasprit Bumrah then dismissed Darwish Rasooli with a sharp yorker, while Yash Thakur removed Zadran in the sixth over to leave Afghanistan 47 for four.
Nitish Reddy, despite conceding 15 runs in the opening over, returned to claim three wickets as Afghanistan collapsed. They were bowled out for 94 in 14.1 overs, giving India a 127-run victory and completing a 3-0 series sweep.
The final result was emphatic. But as India lifted the Friendship Cup, Iyer ensured Zadran was there to share the moment. India won the trophy. They also made room for the opposition to celebrate with them.- EndsPublished By: Saurabh KumarPublished On: Sep 17, 2026 23:53 IST
