India vs Afghanistan: India triumphed over Afghanistan by eight wickets in the 9th match of the World Cup 2023 held at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on Wednesday.
India, set with a target of 273 runs on a batting-friendly pitch, confidently achieved the desired result in just 35 overs.
Skipper Rohit Sharma, with an impressive 131 runs, and Ishan Kishan, contributing 47 runs, orchestrated a substantial opening partnership of 156 runs.
The duo’s exceptional performance was complemented by Virat Kohli, who remained unbeaten at 55, and Shreyas Iyer, contributing an unbeaten 25, ensuring India reached the target with a remarkable 90 balls to spare.
Notably, Rashid Khan claimed both wickets for Afghanistan, conceding 57 runs in his eight-over spell. Rohit Sharma for his match-winning century awarded as the player of the match.
Afghanistan batting
Having won the toss and opted to bat first, Afghanistan managed to reach a competitive total of 272/8 in their allotted 50 overs. It was the same ground that witnessed a World Cup record 754 runs scored in the previous match between South Africa and Sri Lanka.
See ICC Points Table: ICC World Cup Points Table 2023 Update
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah managed to bowl his best World Cup bowling figures of 4-39 and helped his side with a satisfying start with the bowl.
Afghanistan dropped three wickets early on 63 before skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi showed some resilience and scored 80 runs.
Azmatullah Omarzai with his 62 runs put Afghanistan back on track and played a crucial 121 runs partnership with captain. Ibrahim Zadrancaught behind for 22 on Bumrah’s bowl.
Fellow pacers Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur clinched two and one wickets respectively adding to the misery of Afghan batters. Kuldeep Yadav also took the crucial wicket of well-settled Afghan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, on 21, and Rahmat Shah, on 16, fell in the space of four balls with Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur taking the wickets.
Afghanistan lost their opening match to Bangladesh at Dharamsala. Tournament host and favorites India began its World Cup campaign with the finest victory over five-time winners Australia at Chennai.
