Ending a losing streak in ICC T20I World Cup 2021, India registered their first match on Group 2 board after smashing Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. The Indian side was seen in form with both the side – batting and bowling giving a flawless performance that help them defeat Afghans by 66 runs.
Amidst heavy criticism, the Indian Cricket Team was yesterday seen playing their cricket with utmost precision and fearless attitude right from the first over. The opening batsmen Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul smashed 140 runs for the opening stand before Karim Janat ended Rohit Sharma’s runs’ streak at 74. Rohit Sharma reached the score in 47 balls. Rishabh Pant came next on the field and the scores on the scoreboard were still contributed from both sides. KL Rahul scored 69 runs off 48 balls before getting bowled by Gulbadin Naib.
Hardik Pandya was next to come on the pitch with his pads on when the Indian side was already at 147/2 in 16.3 overs. With 3.3 overs in hand, the Pant-Pandya duo went on to register a total of 210 runs, the highest total in the 2021 edition of ICC T20I World Cup, at the end of 20 overs. Rishabh Pant scored 27 runs off 13 balls and Hardik registered a 35 runs streak off 13 balls.
The second innings encashed both – spinners and pacers with the wickets. Mohammed Shami gave away 32 runs and took 3 wickets in his 4 overs. R Ashwin, who was playing an international match after over six months, took 2 wickets, giving away just 12 runs in 4 overs with 12 dot balls. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja took 1 wicket each, giving away 25 and 19 runs respectively.
The Indian bowling side restricted Afghans to score 144 runs with a loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs. However, Karim Janat scored unbeaten 42 runs off 22 balls being the highest run-scorer for the Afghanistan side.
With this win, India finally converted their net run rate into positive – (0.073). Indian fans will now hope for a loss for New Zealand and the men in blue gets a chance to qualify for semis in ICC T20I World Cup 2021.
