WC2023 – Kohli and Rohit Shine as India Crushes Afghanistan’s Effort To Create An Upset
Varad Bhatkhande
New Delhi, 11th October 2023 – In an Asian Faceoff clash at the Arun Jaitley stadium in New Delhi, India emerged victorious against Afghanistan in the 9th official match of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. The Indian cricket team, the favourites before the match, secured an emphatic win, marked by record-breaking individual performances and a substantial boost to their net run rate.
Virat Kohli set a monumental record by becoming the highest run-scorer in ICC ODI and T20 World Cups combined, surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s tally. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, captain of the Indian cricket team, etched his name into the history books by achieving multiple milestones. He became the player with the most centuries in ICC ODI World Cups and also claimed the title of the fastest centuries scorer for India, reaching his century in just 63 balls. Rohit Sharma further accomplished the feat of the fastest 1000 runs in the ICC ODI World Cup, matching David Warner’s record of 19 innings. In an incredible display of power-hitting, he also shattered the record for the most international sixes, surpassing Chris Gayle’s tally of 556 sixes.
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first, with their top-order batters Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, and Rahmat Shah contributing modestly. However, Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi put up a resilient performance, scoring 80 runs off 88 balls before being dismissed by lbw, courtesy of Kuldeep Yadav. Azmatullah Omarzai also played a commendable innings, accumulating 62 runs from 69 balls before Hardik Pandya sent him back. The lower-middle order and tail-enders struggled to make an impact, and Afghanistan concluded their innings at 272 for the loss of eight wickets within their allotted 50 overs.
In India’s bowling department, Jasprit Bumrah emerged as the star performer, securing 4 wickets while conceding only 39 runs in his 10 overs. The versatile all-rounder, Hardik Pandya, contributed with two crucial wickets, while Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav claimed one wicket each.
Chasing a target of 273 runs, considered achievable given the high-scoring history of the Arun Jaitley stadium, India’s openers, Ishan Kishan and Captain Rohit Sharma, set the stage for a successful run chase. Ishan Kishan contributed 47 runs from 47 balls before being dismissed by Ibrahim Zadran off Rashid Khan’s delivery. Rohit Sharma, in an innings that felt like a T20 spectacle, raced to 131 runs off just 84 balls before Rashid Khan finally managed to dismiss him.
Despite the fall of openers, the Indian team remained in control of the match as Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer steadied the innings. The highlight of Kohli’s innings along with his stylish batting was the exchange of looks between him and Afghanistan’s bowler Naveen ul Haq, who previously argued when Naveen represented the Lucknow Supergiants in the IPL, and Virat Kohli, who was with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2023. Kohli remained unbeaten at 55 from 56 balls, while Shreyas Iyer contributed 25 not out from 23 balls. India beat Afghanistan comfortably as they achieved it by 8 wickets with 15 overs to spare.
In Afghanistan’s bowling department, Rashid Khan lived up to the expectations by securing two crucial wickets. However, other Afghan bowlers struggled to make an impact, and India claimed a comfortable victory by 8 wickets with 90 balls to spare.
India’s next encounter will be a highly anticipated match against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Tomorrow, the 10th official match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is scheduled between Australia and South Africa at the Ekana Sports City in Lucknow.
