India beat Afghanistan by 66 runs, keep their faint hopes alive in T20 WC

With this massive win, India's net run rate has crossed over into positive territory. The Indian batsmen were in a belligerent mood.

Chasing 211 is a difficult job and the Afghans were expectedly in trouble.

They lost early wickets and although Rahamanullah Gurbaz played a cameo, his dismissal disrupted the momentum.

The result was irrelevant because it was thereafter a fight for net run rate between the rivals.

Afghanistan could manage 144 for 7 in 20 overs with the contributions coming from the bats of Karim Janat (42) and Mohammad Nabi (35). Rest of the batters did not contribute much.

India's Ravichandran Ashwin, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant during their match against Afghanistan | Image Credit: UNI

Though there is a big task ahead for India, they certainly were the happier side on Wednesday.

Afghanistan still have the hopes of qualifying in their own hands, unlike India, if they beat New Zealand. But India could spoil their dreams if they do what they did on Wednesday for two more games in a row. The key word for India is hope.

India put on board 210 for 2, which was their second-highest in World Cups, thanks to the rollicking start openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma provided and the finishing touches from Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya's broad blades in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup's Super 12 group stage match against Afghanistan here on Wednesday.

After successfully crossing the 200-run mark, India had its task cut out to restrict Afghanistan to 99 or less so that their NRR is more than Afghanistan and New Zealand's, to keep their hopes alive in the tournament, after losing badly to Pakistan and New Zealand.

Sent into bat, Rahul and Rohit belted superb half centuries to help India get off to a quick start by stitching a 140 runs partnership for first wicket. Rahul scored 69 runs off 48 balls while Rohit hammered 74 runs in 47 deliveries.

The unconquered Rishabh Pant (27) and Hardik Pandya (35) gave finishing touches by smacking the Afghanistan bowlers to help India race past the 200-run mark.

Both openers executed great shots and managed to hit boundaries and sixes at will to give the team a flying start, which was lacking in the previous two games.

Rohit was back to his rhythmic best as he reached his 23rd T20 International fifty after he slapped the ball off Naveen-ul-Haq for four.

India's Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul running between the wickets during their match against Afghanistan | Image Credit: UNI

Then, Rahul got to his fifty off just 35 balls, launching Gulbadin Naib's slower ball outside off for a four. His fifty was quicker than Rohit, though he made a slower start.

They also celebrated the historic moments when both Rohit and Rahul became only the fourth pair with four or more century partnerships in men's T20 Internationals. Rahul joined the party, hitting his 13th T20 International fifty with a glorious boundary.

Rohit ended up hitting Karim Janat straight to Nabi at extra-cover, flat and at around waist height. Rahul followed him soon as he was beaten by the slower yorker off Gulbadin trying to scoop, and clung to the bails.

The Afghan bowling performance left much to be desired, in particular the puzzling decision from captain Mohammad Nabi to bowl just the solitary over.

For the first time, Rashid Khan could manage only dot off his first two overs. On an average, six balls out of the first two overs Rashid bowls in a T20 international are dots. This was Rashid's fourth-worst analysis in all T20 internationals.

Chasing a massive 211 runs target, Afghanistan scraped to 98 for 5 in 16 overs as they were looking at a huge defeat and a big drop in their net-run-rate, but they managed to go ahead of New Zealand after the late flurry of Nabi and Janat.

India's Rishabh Pant playing a shot during their match against Afghanistan | Image Credit: UNI

Both Ravindra Jadeja (1 wicket) and Ravichandran Ashwin (2 wickets) bowled in tandem and restricted Afghanistan batsmen to score freely as they picked up three wickets between them.

Jadeja gave Ashwin a hand by removing one of the right-handed batsmen, which brought in a left-hand batter, which made Ashwin's task easier on comeback. Ashwin took the other right-hand batter to make it 59 for 4 in the 10th over. At the end of the Powerplay, Afghanistan were 47 for 2.

Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah removed Hazarutllah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad in two balls to make it 13 for 2 in 3.1 overs. The Afghan batsmen looked completely outclassed against high pace and some movement and ended 66 runs short of India.

Rohit was declared man of the match.