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ICC T20 World Cup: From India’s title hopes to a potential Australian treble – here’s what to expect
That’s it for our coverage from tonight’s match between India and Afghanistan.
A comprehensive win by 47 runs eventually for India, as they start off the Super 8 campaign with a win over Afghanistan.
Suryakumar Yadav starred with the bat with his half-century – a knock that earned him the player of the match award. But Jasprit Bumrah’s performance with the ball cannot be overlooked. The star bowler picked up three wickets and conceded just seven runs in four overs.
India hops islands as they head to Antigua and Barbuda, where they will take on Bangladesh on Saturday. See you then!
“[We have come here over the] last two years, and we have played some T20 cricket here. So we understand the conditions and we planned around the conditions. We based our game plan according to that. I thought we adapted really well to the conditions, whatever was there on offer. Getting to 180 was a great effort from our batters. And we knew the class of bowlers we have to come and defend that.
“Everyone coming in and doing their job critical for us, and that is something we keep talking about. If everyone plays their role, we can set up a good platform for ourselves.
“We know [Jasprit Bumrah’s] class. We know what he can do for us. It’s important for us to use him smartly, however the conditions are there. He’s the one ready to take that responsibility as well. It’s not easy for the strike bowler to keep holding on, but Bumrah being Bumrah, he’s been doing that for years. He understands that this is what the team expects from him. He’s always ready for that responsibility.”
— Rohit Sharma at the post-match presentation
“There was a lot of hard work and process behind this. There is a lot of process and routine involved. When I go inside, when I play the game, I’m very clear on what I want to do.”
— Suryakumar Yadav after winning the player of the match award
Suryakumar Yadav, for his solid 53 off 28 – an innings that included five fours and three sixes – is adjudged the player of the match.
INDIA WIN BY 47 RUNS!
Afghanistan 134/10 (20 overs): WICKET FOR INDIA! Last ball of the match, and Arshdeep Singh gets his third wicket. Noor Ahmad tries to hit big but skies his effort that Rohit Sharma takes with ease.
Afghanistan 126/9 (19 overs): Afghanistan need 56 to win off the last six overs. This match is pretty much over now.
Afghanistan 121/9 (17.5 overs): WICKET FOR INDIA! Arshdeep Singh gets another one off successive deliveries. Naveen-ul-Haq is a bit late with the pull as Arshdeep hits a slower bouncer. Rishabh Pant gets a simple catch behind.
Afghanistan 121/8 (17.4 overs): WICKET FOR INDIA! Arshdeep Singh gets a wicket. Rashid Khan slices it straight to Ravindra Jadeja.
Afghanistan 114/7 (16.3 overs): WICKET FOR INDIA! Mohammad Nabi goes for a big shot towards the longer boundary, against the wind, handing Ravindra Jadeja a catch to give Kuldeep Yadav another wicket.
Afghanistan 102/6 (15.2 overs): WICKET FOR INDIA! Najibullah Zadran slashes hard, but straight to Arshdeep Singh at backward point. Jasprit Bumrah gets a third.
Afghanistan 91/5 (14 overs): Runs are coming at a premium for Afghanistan, and the asking run rate has touched 15.
Afghanistan 71/5 (11.1 overs): WICKET FOR INDIA! Ravindra Jadeja strikes! Azmatullah Omarzai tries to go big but hands Axar Patel a simple catch.
Afghanistan now has two new batters out on the crease.
Afghanistan 67/3 (10.2 overs): WICKET FOR INDIA! Kuldeep Yadav gets his first wicket of the World Cup. Gulbadin Naib goes for a big hit immediately after the drinks break. But he manages to get a top edge. Rishabh Pant calls for the catch early and takes it well.
Afghanistan 66/3 (10 overs): We've reached the halfway mark in this innings. Gulbadin Naib and Azmatullah Omarzai have managed to steady the innings after the early wickets, but they Afghans are still well below the asking rate. They now need 116 from 60 balls.
Afghanistan 47/3 (8 overs): 12 runs from the last two overs for Afghanistan, courtesy some good fielding from the Indians.
Afghanistan 35/3 (6 overs): Afghanistan has scored 12 off the last three overs, and lost two wickets in the process.
Afghanistan 23/2 (4.1 overs): WICKET FOR INDIA! Jasprit Bumrah gets another one. Hazratullah Zazai edges a simple catch to Ravindra Jadeja.
Gulbadin Naib is the new man in.
Afghanistan 23/2 (3.4 overs): WICKET FOR INDIA! Ibrahim Zadran was granted a reprieve when Virat Kohli dropped a simple catch. But the Afghan batter found no mercy as he handed Rohit Sharma a straight-forward catch, off the bowling of Axar Patel.
Ibrahim Zadran comes in at No 3 for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan 13/1 (1.2 overs): WICKET FOR INDIA! It's that man, Jasprit Bumrah who gets the early wicket. Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 11 runs in the first over and looked dangerous. But the Afghan batter managed to just get an edge off a slow Bumrah-delivery to hand Rishabh Pant a simple catch.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai will begin the Afghan chase.
“I enjoy batting in that phase from 7-15. That’s the most difficult phase when the other teams try and control the game. I like to take charge and be the game changer on the given day.
I knew I have played in this phase before and how to play in this phase. I just backed my game, backed my instincts and most importantly the intent has to be good at that time.”
— Suryakumar Yadav
Strong total from India on a slow wicket that makes batting difficult. And, there is the slow outfield to deal with.
The late flurry from Axar Patel helped India get over the 180-run mark. But credit to Suryakumar Yadav, whose 53 off 28 helped put India back in the contest after the Afghans struck with early and frequent wickets.
Rashid Khan was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with impressive figures of 3/26 off his four overs. Fazahaq Farooqi also picked up three wickets.
India 181/8 (20 overs): WICKET FOR AFGHANISTAN! Last ball of the innings, a swing and miss from Axar Patel and he's just short of his ground for a run-out.
Arshdeep Singh comes in next.
India 165/7 (18.4 overs): WICKET FOR AFGHANISTAN! Fazalhaq Farooqi picks up another one. He bowls a slower bouncer and Ravindra Jadeja tried to flick it over short-third man. Instead, he handed a simple enough catch to Gulbadin Naib.
Axar Patel comes in next.
India 159/6 (18 overs): WICKET FOR AFGHANISTAN! Hardik Pandya was given out LBW off Naveen-ul-Haq's bowling, but the review saved him as the ball was found missing leg stump. The next ball though, Pandya tries to go big and holes out do Azmatullah Omarzai at the deep point boundary.
Ravindra Jadeja is in next.
India 150/5 (17 overs): WICKET FOR AFGHANISTAN! Suryakumar Yadav made a very well made half-century, but eventually skies a shot off Fazalhaq Farooqi's bowling, and Mohammad Nabi makes no mistake with the catch.
50-run partnership for Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. It comes in 35 balls.
India 138/4 (16 overs): Suryakumar Yadav took the charge to the Afghan bowlers, giving Hardik Pandya time to settle in. In the 16th over though, Pandya came up with some big hits against Noor Ahmad.
India 115/4 (14 overs): Rashid Khan’s spell ends with impressive figures of 26/3 in four overs.
India 98/4 (12 overs): Hardik Pandya joins Suryakumar Yadav out in the middle, and almost plays a role in getting his partner out. Pandya played a shot straight, but the bowler Naveen-ul-Haq got a hand to it and guided the ball back to the stumps at the non-striker's end. Yadav just about get his bat back in the crease.
Hardik Pandya comes in to bat.
India 90/4 (10.5 overs): WICKET FOR AFGHANISTAN! Rashid Khan had never taken a wicket against India in a T20I. Now he has three. He gets out Shivam Dube LBW for 10 off 7.
India 79/3 (10 overs): The two new batters at the crease, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube, have not taken long to settle in. Yadav expertly swept Rashid Khan for four and Dube clobbered a six over the Noor Ahmad's head.
Shivam Dube has come in at No 5.
India 62/3 (8.3 overs): WICKET FOR AFGHANISTAN! Rashid Khan does it again! This time it's Virat Kohli.
The Indian batter looked to go big over covers, but handed a simple catch to Mohammad Nabi. Kohli is out for a run-a-ball 24.
India 60/2 (8 overs): Rashid Khan got the breakthrough just when it seemed like Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli had found their footing. Suryakumar Yadav comes in next for India.
Suryakumar Yadav is the next man in.
India 54/2 (7 overs): WICKET FOR AFGHANISTAN! Rashid Khan gets the breakthrough in his first over! Rishabh Pant looks for a reverse sweep but misses the ball, which crashes into his back pad. The Indians go for the review, but to no avail.
This is, interestingly, Rashid Khan's first wicket against India in T20 Internationals.
India 47/1 (6 overs): Big reprieve for Rishabh Pant. He plays a slog sweep that should have been taken by Naveen-ul-Haq, who inexplicably failed to get his hands on the ball. The ball bounced off his chest and leg before hitting the boundary rope.
The Indian team is wearing black armbands today in memory of the late former India Test player David Johnson, who died earlier today.
India 25/1 (4 overs): The run-rate has picked up a bit, but India lost their first wicket in Rohit Sharma. Rishabh Pant though started off with a smart shot to the boundary, and Virat Kohli has also started to find his feet.
India 11/1 (2.5 overs): WICKET FOR AFGHANISTAN! A slower ball from Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Rohit Sharma looks to go big. But the India does not get a clean hit, instead, hitting the ball straight up and giving Rashid Khan a simple catch. Sharma is out for 8 off 13.
India 8/0 (2 overs): Slow start for India, but still a long way to go in this match.
AND AWAY WE GO!
As expected, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are opening the batting for the Indians.
The teams are out for the national anthems now. Not too long left for the Super 8 to begin!
Toss update: Rohit Sharma has won the toss and decided that the Indians will bat first. Both teams have made one change to their playing XI. Kuldeep Yadav comes in for Mohammed Siraj for India, while Karim Janat sits out for Hazratullah Zazai in the Afghanistan squad.
India’s road to the Super 8
Topped Group A
India beat Ireland by 8 wickets
India beat Pakistan by 6 runs
India beat United States by 7 wickets
India vs Canada match abandoned due to rain
Afghanistan’s road to the Super 8
Runner-up in Group C
Afghanistan beat Uganda by 125 runs
Afghanistan beat New Zealand by 84 runs
Afghanistan beat Papua New Guinea by 7 wickets
Afghanistan lost to West Indies by 104 runs
Hello and welcome to Scroll’s coverage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup!
The bowlers had a field day in the bowling-friendly conditions of New York. But now as the action shifts to the West Indies for the Super 8, there is a hope the batters – Virat Kohli in particular – will hit his stride at the right time.
India play Afghanistan tonight at the Kensington Oval in Barbados to open their campaign in the Super 8 stage of the contest.
The Indians are among the favourites to win the tournament, let alone Group 1 that also includes Bangladesh and Australia. But stranger things have happened in T20 cricket, and the Afghans have long proven that they are not pushovers.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik
Screenshots via Disney+Hotstar