Indian players were all smiles as they celebrated their success. Virat Kohli didn’t disappoint his home crowd, delivering a fifty, while Rohit Sharma’s explosive powerplay performance, including the fastest century by an Indian in World Cups, delighted the fans.
In a match set on a batting-friendly pitch, Afghanistan chose to bat, and Rohit was content with bowling, considering the dew factor. India, led by Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Shardul Thakur, had a good start, but Afghanistan made a solid recovery with a century-long partnership between their captain Hashmatullah and Azmatullah.
However, Hardik Pandya’s exceptional slower ball ended that partnership. Once that occurred, Afghanistan struggled to build momentum and fell short of the 300-run mark. Bumrah’s brilliance in the end proved crucial.
The pitch could have yielded at least 350 runs for the team batting first, but Afghanistan fell significantly short, and India achieved a comfortable victory by eight wickets.
Rohit Sharma received the Player of the Match award for his exceptional batting performance.
Earlier, Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Afghanistan fought back from being 63/3 at one point, setting up a target of 273 for India to chase. Jasprit Bumrah delivered his best performance in a World Cup match, taking four wickets for 39 runs.
Hardik Pandya also took two wickets, one of which ended a 121-run partnership between Afghanistan captain Hashamtullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai. On the other hand, Mohammed Siraj had a tough day, going wicketless and conceding 76 runs in nine overs.
The partnership between Shahidi and Omarzai played a significant role in Afghanistan’s performance. Omarzai contributed 62 runs in 69 balls before being dismissed by Pandya, while Shahidi, who scored 80 runs in 88 balls, was removed by Kuldeep Yadav.
In the end, Afghanistan batted well and managed to reach a competitive total of 272 for eight. Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai both achieved impressive half-centuries, and their efforts were complemented by valuable contributions from the lower-order batsmen.
India may face stiff targets considering Afghanistan’s strong bowling attack, featuring world-class spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
