Right then, India will be pleased with how they pulled things back with the ball. With the wicket expected to get better for batting, Rohit Sharma and Co. will fancy themselves to gun down the total. On the other hand, Afghanistan do have the resources to defend the total but one feels that they are a few runs short. Can the Afghan bowlers rise to the challenge? Back in a bit to find out.
Azmatullah Omarzai is down for a quick chat. He starts by thanking the Almighty and is really happy to score his first World Cup Fifty in India and against India as well. Adds that they lost early wickets and were looking to stitch together a partnership and the captain gave him ample support. Mentions that they looked to get 300 on the board but lost wickets in the middle phase. Also says that they will now look to defend this score and do have quality spinners to do so.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah was accurate as ever and did not give much away in his first spell, while Mohammed Siraj was a bit wayward and allowed Ibrahim Zadran in particular to get going. Bumrah was rewarded for his persistence as he nipped out the dangerous-looking Zadran before he could deal any more damage. Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur got into the act as well to pile more misery on Afghanistan. In the middle phase, the spin twins, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, maintained a stranglehold, although for not much longer as they were taken apart by Azmatullah. The move to keep Hardik Pandya on eventually paid off for Rohit Sharma and India as he foxed out Omarzai to break the flourishing stand. Thanks to this breakthrough, India staged a comeback, led by Jasprit Bumrah who was sensational with his variations in the death overs. Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4 for 39 from his ten overs. Hardik Pandya accounted for two wickets while Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav took a wicket each.
Afghanistan end up with 272 on the board, their second-highest total in World Cup history! They would have wanted to finish on a high but they will not be too disheartened with his total. After Hashmatullah Shahidi called it right and opted to bat first, the two openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, started decently. Just when Zadran was starting to look comfortable, he was dismissed, which is when Gurbaz took matters into his own hands. After the powerplay, Afghanistan slipped into a spot of bother in the space of four deliveries with the departure of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi was joined by Azmatullah Omarzai, and the duo began to resurrect the Afghan innings. At the start, boundaries were hard to come by, but that was not the case when Omarzai began to up the ante by taking on the Indian spinners. His confidence rubbed on Shahidi, who too started finding the boundaries regularly. Thanks to Omarzai’s 64 and Shahid’s 80, Afghanistan got their innings back on track. However, the incoming batters found it tough to maintain the momentum created, which meant that they had to settle for a lower total.
49.6 overs (1 Run) Ends well does Mohammed Siraj but Afghanistan do get over the 270-run mark in the end. Bangs in a short ball over the stumps, at a good height as well and Mujeeb Ur Rahman swings across the line, only through thin air though. The batters scamper across as KL Rahul throws the ball back to Siraj and he decides not to attempt a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Afghanistan finish with 272/8!
49.5 overs (1 Run) Bye! A short ball now, following the batter down leg once again. Naveen-ul-Haq is hurried on and misses the ball but they do sneak in a bye.
49.4 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! Very nicely played! On a good length and following the batter down leg. Naveen-ul-Haq allows the ball to slide on and just dabs it away behind point for a boundary.
49.3 overs (2 Runs) Length again at the stumps, Naveen-ul-Haq hits it hard and straight back down the ground. Virat Kohli runs around to his left from long on and picks up a couple of runs.
49.2 overs (0 Run) A touch fuller and outside off, skidding through, Naveen-ul-Haq backs away to open up the off side but is well beaten.
49.1 overs (0 Run) Pacy delivery, hitting the length hard and angling over middle. Naveen-ul-Haq hangs back but is late on the swing as the ball skids through to the keeper.
Mohammed Siraj (8-0-70-0) will bowl the final over. Also, India have been imposed a slow over-rate penalty and they are now allowed only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle for the last over.
48.6 overs (0 Run) Takes pace off and bowls it on a length around middle, Mujeeb Ur Rahman defends it out.
48.5 overs (0 Run) Nails the yorker now on middle and leg, Mujeeb Ur Rahman backs away and manages to get a bit of bat on it.
48.4 overs (1 Run) Fuller in length and outside off, Naveen-ul-Haq crouches a bit and pushes it out toward cover for one.
48.3 overs (0 Run) Hard length around middle and nipping back in a bit. Naveen-ul-Haq looks to play at it but misses and gets hit on the thigh pads.
48.2 overs (2 Runs) Full and on the leg peg, Naveen-ul-Haq flicks it away behind square leg and rushes back for the second run. The chants of ‘Kohli, Kohli’ are heard throughout the stadium as Naveen takes strike and everyone knows the history between those two.
Naveen-ul-Haq walks out now.
48.1 overs (0 Run) OUT! CAUGHT! Taken brilliantly on the second attempt by Kuldeep Yadav. Jasprit Bumrah bangs this one in halfway down the track and well outside off. Rashid Khan has to reach for it a bit and plays the uppercut over backward point. The ball goes very high and two fielders converge. Kuldeep Yadav rushes in from deep point as Ravindra Jadeja also runs back from inside the ring. Yadav puts in the dives and the ball pops right out of his hands but Yadav shows good awareness to stick out both hands and pouch it safely.
47.6 overs (1 Run) Back of a length over the stumps, Rashid Khan forces it straight down the ground and picks up a single.
47.6 overs (1 Run) Wide! Another bumper, this time quicker and angling down leg. Rashid Khan ducks and hangs his bat up in the air trying to play at it but is beaten and a wide is called.
47.5 overs (0 Run) Slower bumper outside off, Rashid Khan looks to play at it but is well beaten.
47.4 overs (6 Runs) SIX! Put away over the ropes! Short of a length and offering width, Rashid Khan just backs away and slaps it over the cover-point fence for a maximum. Useful runs these for Afghanistan.
47.3 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! It’s not been Siraj’s day and he concedes another boundary. Back of a length, angling back in from outside off. Rashid Khan stands tall and hits it with brilliant timing past point and the ball speeds away to the fence. The 250 is now up for Afghanistan.
47.2 overs (1 Run) Full and straight, Mujeeb Ur Rahman shows the full face of the bat and drills it to the left of long on but just for a single.
47.1 overs (1 Run) hard length over the stumps, hit away without much timing and through mid on for a single.
46.6 overs (0 Run) On the bounce! Back of a length and outside off, Mujeeb Ur Rahman backs away and clobbers it without much timing to Hardik Pandya at mid on.
46.5 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! Another boundary! Shortish ball around the hips, Mujeeb Ur Rahman looks to fend it away but gets a slight nudge on it and the ball runs away to the fine leg fence.
46.4 overs (4 Runs) FOUR! Hammered down the ground! Slower delivery, right in the slot around off. Mujeeb Ur Rahman clears the front leg and heaves it flat back past the bowler and the umpire for a boundary.
46.3 overs (0 Run) Slightly less fuller and attacking the stumps, Mujeeb Ur Rahman goes on the back foot and blocks it back to the bowler.
46.2 overs (0 Run) Bowls it at 142 clicks and angles it right in at the base of the off stump. Mujeeb Ur Rahman jams it out to mid off.
46.1 overs (1 Run) Bowled back of a length and outside off, Rashid Khan eases it off the back foot to deep cover-point for a run.
45.6 overs (0 Run) Quicker one on middle and leg, nudged away to mid-wicket.
45.5 overs (1 Run) On the pads again, Rashid Khan works it away behind square leg and looks for two but has to settle for a single.
45.4 overs (1 Run) Flatter one around leg, tucked away to the right of the bowler for a quick single.
45.3 overs (0 Run) Gives it more air and floats it up around off. Mujeeb Ur Rahman looks to turn it leg side but gets a leading edge which falls to the right of the man at short extra cover.
45.2 overs (1 Run) Flighted up on off stump, Rashid Khan knocks it down to long off for a single.
45.1 overs (0 Run) Oh, that could have been catastrophic! Flatter one around off, chopped away by Rashid Khan to point and he wants a single. Mujeeb Ur Rahman at the other end says no but then starts coming and Rashid scampers back. Jasprit Bumrah picks up the ball but his throw at the bowler’s end is a weak one and it allows Mujeeb to get back in.
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