India v Afghanistan, 9th Match, ICC Cricket World Cup: Sharma's record ton leads India to a massive win

India registered their second win of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 as they thumped Afghanistan by eight wickets. The game took place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi and it saw utter dominance from the host. Afghanistan after opting to bat first posted 272 for nine and India chased it in 35 overs.

Afghanistan were off to a torrid start as their top order didn’t capitalise on the start they got. Ibrahim Zadran (22:28b, 4x4), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (21:28b, 3x4, 1x6) and Rahmat Shah (16:22b, 3x4) were back in the hut for 63 runs. However, after that skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi (80:88b, 8x4, 1x6) and Azmatullah Omarzai (62:69b, 2x4, 4x6) added 172 runs for the fourth wicket. Their staggering stand brought the Afghans back into the game and put bowlers under pressure. After their wickets, a handy knock from Mohammad Nabi (19:27b, 1x4), Rashid Khan (16:12b, 1x4, 1x6) and Mujeeb ur Rahman (10 not out:12b, 2x4) took them to the total of 272 for nine. For India, Jasprit Bumrah was the key bowler as he picked a four-wicket haul and gave away 39 runs.

In the chase, Indian captain Rohit Sharma (131:83b, 16x4, 5x6)) went berserk and took the game away from the opposition. The opening batter batted aggressively and didn’t put a foot wrong during his stay. Ishan Kishan (47:47b, 5x4, 2x6) played the role of second fiddle well and the duo shared a 156 opening partnership. Virat Kohli (55 not out: 56b, 6x4)) and Shreyas Iyer (25 not out:23b, 1x4, 1x6) chipped in and finished the job for their team. India won the game by eight wickets as they chased the target in 35 overs. 

Match Summary
Afghanistan: 272-9 (50)
Fall of wickets: 1-32 (Ibrahim Zadran-6.4 ov), 2-63 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz-12.4 ov), 3-63 (Rahmat Shah-13.1 ov), 4-184 (Azmatullah Omarzai-34.2 ov), 5-225 (Hashmatullah Shahidi-42.4 ov), 6-229 (Najibullah Zadran-44.2 ov), 7-235 (Mohammad Nabi-44.6 ov), 8-261 (Rashid Khan-48.1 ov)

India: 273-2 (35)
Fall of wickets: 1-156 (Ishan Kishan-18.4 ov), 2-205 (Rohit Sharma-25.4 ov)

SCORECARD

Jasprit Bumrah post-match press conference, India vs Afghanistan, 9th Match, ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 Credit: ICC

Playing XIs
India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

Sri Lanka: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Match Details
Toss: Afghanistan, elected to field
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Start time: 0830 hrs GMT
Match officials: Michael Gough, Paul Reiffel (On-field Umpires); Marais Erasmus (TV Umpire); Sharfuddoula (Reserve Umpire); Jeff Crowe(Match-referee)

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