India continued their unbeaten run in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with a dominant eight-wicket win over Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday. Rohit Sharma was the star of the show, smashing a brilliant 131 off just 84 balls to lead India’s chase of 273 with ease. Virat Kohli also chipped in with an unbeaten 55 as India reached their target in 35 overs.
The Highlights
Afghanistan won the toss and opted to bat first, hoping to put up a competitive total against the hosts. They got off to a shaky start, losing three wickets for 63 in the first 14 overs. Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking four wickets for 39 runs in his 10 overs. He struck twice in his first spell, removing Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah, before coming back to dismiss Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the death overs.
Afghanistan’s innings was revived by their captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, who scored a patient 80 off 88 balls. He shared a crucial 121-run partnership with Azmatullah Omarzai, who played a counter-attacking knock of 62 off 69 balls. Azmatullah hit four sixes and two fours, including three sixes in an over off Mohammed Siraj. Afghanistan finished with 272 for 8 in their 50 overs, setting India a challenging target.
India’s chase was led by Rohit Sharma, who was in sublime form. He hit 16 fours and five sixes in his innings, scoring at a strike rate of over 150. He reached his fifty off just 32 balls and his hundred off just 60 balls, breaking his own record for the fastest century by an Indian in a World Cup match. He added 97 runs for the first wicket with Ishan Kishan, who scored 47 off 47 balls, and 115 runs for the second wicket with Virat Kohli, who scored his second consecutive fifty.
Rohit was finally dismissed by Rashid Khan for 131 off 84 balls, but by then India were only 31 runs away from victory. Shreyas Iyer joined Kohli and finished the game with a six, as India won by eight wickets with 15 overs to spare. Rohit was named the player of the match for his stunning knock.
The Reaction
India’s captain Rohit Sharma was delighted with his team’s performance and praised his bowlers for restricting Afghanistan to a manageable total. He also credited Afghanistan for putting up a good fight and playing some positive cricket.
"It was a good win for us. We wanted to bowl first but they batted well and posted a decent total. Our bowlers did well to keep them under 300. Bumrah was exceptional as always and the spinners also did their job. Then we batted really well and chased it down comfortably. I was happy with my form and enjoyed batting on this pitch. Afghanistan are a good team and they have some quality players. They played with a lot of spirit and we respect them for that."
Afghanistan’s captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was disappointed with the result but proud of his team’s effort. He praised Azmatullah Omarzai for his attacking innings and said that his team will learn from their mistakes and improve in the future.
"We lost the game but we fought hard and gave our best. We knew it was going to be tough against India but we wanted to challenge them and show our skills. We batted well and scored a good total but it was not enough against a strong batting line-up like India’s. Rohit Sharma played an amazing innings and took the game away from us. Azmatullah Omarzai played very well and gave us some momentum in the middle overs. He is a young talent and he has a bright future ahead of him. We will take some positives from this game and try to do better in the next matches."
The Analysis
India have shown why they are one of the favourites to win the World Cup with their comprehensive win over Afghanistan. They have a balanced and powerful team that can adapt to any situation and any opposition. Their batting is formidable, with Rohit Sharma leading from the front and Virat Kohli providing stability and consistency. Their bowling is also impressive, with Jasprit Bumrah being the best fast bowler and getting support from others like Siraj , Jadeja and Pandya.