Delhi : Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s 131(84) at Arun Jaitley Stadium, helped India crush Afghanistan by 8 wickets.
Chasing a target of 273 , Rohit Sharma wrecked havoc against Afghan bowlers. He bashed the pacers in the powerplay all over the park. Ishan Kishan on the other hand anchored his innings to avoid wicket loss.
In just 18th over, Rohit scored his 7th World Cup ton, most by any Cricketer. It was also the fastest ton by any Indian in World Cup.
Ishan Kishan fell to Rashid Khan in next over, though it didn’t stop Rohit. Forming a partnership with Virat Kohli, he got dismissed on 131(84), completing his job.
Virat Kohli scored his 2nd consecutive 50 in this World Cup, guiding India to 2nd win, accompanied by Shreyas Iyer. Virat Kohli became the highest runs scorer in World Cup history after today’s knock, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar.
Earlier in 1st innings, Afghanistan proved themselves with the Bat. Despite getting good start, top order Gurbaz , Ibrahim Zadran & Rahmat didn’t score big.
However, a 121 runs partnership between Shahidi and Azmatullah put Afghanistan back on track.
Despite this stand, after their dismissal, Afghanistan lacked a good finish and got stopped at below par 272 runs. Jasprit Bumrah played a crucial role in this , picking 4 wickets. India later won it quite comfortably. Rohit Sharma was adjourned the Man of the Match for his record performance.
India will now face arch rivals Pakistan on Saturday 14 October at Ahmedabad. Whereas, Afghanistan will face England on the same venue.
Brief Scorecard :
1st Innings
Afg : 272-8(50)
Hashmatullah Shahidi : 80(88)
Azmatullah Omarzai :62(69)
Ind:
Jasprit Bumrah : 4-39
2nd Innings
Ind : 273-2(35)
Rohit Sharma : 131(84)
Virat Kohli : 55(56)
Result : India win by 8 Wickets
