BackSuryakumar Yadav - Jasprit Bumrah power India to 47-run victory. Rohit says ‘ we had class bowlers’
IND vs AFG T20 World Cup: Team India inched one step closer to ending the over 10 year wait for an ICC trophy with a 47 run victory against the West Indies at Barbados on Thursday.
PremiumWho won yesterday's India vs Afghanistan match? Rohit Sharma led team India continued their victory run in this edition of the T20 World Cup as they comfortably defeated Afghanistan by 47 runs at the Kensington Oval stadium in Barbados on Thursday.
Top highlights of India vs Afghanistan T20 World Cup clash:
India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first in Barbados. The Men in Blue lost their first wicket in the form of skipper Rohit Sharma, who decided to take the aggressive route against Fazalhaq Farooqi, only for the ball to fall straight into the hands of Rashid Khan.
Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli stabilised the Indian innings for a while, but the left-hander soon lost his way in the powerplay and was sent back to the pavilion by Rashid Khan for 20. Afghanistan tightened their grip on the game with the crucial wickets of Virat Kohli and Shivam Dube in the next few overs.
However, a quickfire 60-run partnership between Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya ensured that India would post a respectable total. Despite losing the wickets of Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja in the final overs of the match, India managed to register a first innings total of 181/7 in their 20 overs.
In reply, Afghanistan suffered a shock in the second over of the match when pacer Jasprit Bumrah sent Hazratullah Zazai back to the pavilion for 2. The quick wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran in the 4th over made things worse for Afghanistan as they lost 3 wickets for 23.
From there, a 43-run partnership between Azmatullah Omarzai and Gulbadin Naib kept Afghanistan in the hunt for a while. However, Afghanistan's batsmen were never able to match the required run rate, especially after the loss of Omarzai in the 12th over, and they were eventually bowled out for 134. Pacer Arshdeep Singh claimed the final wicket of the match with the last delivery of the 20th over, removing Naveen-ul-Haq for a golden duck.
Rohit Sharma reacts to India's win against Afghanistan:
Speaking after the match in a post-match press conference, Rohit said, "The last two years we have played T20s here, so we understand the conditions and planned accordingly. We adapted well and got 180, which was a great effort from the batters. We had class bowlers who defended it perfectly."
“Everyone came in and did their job, that is critical and we dwell on it. SKY (Suryakumar Yadav) and Hardik's partnership was critical at that point, we needed someone to bat deep which they did. We know Bumrah's class and what he can do. Important for us to use him smartly regardless of conditions. He is willing to take responsibility and he has been doing it for years." the Indian captain added.
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