Rohit Sharma’s record-breaking seventh World Cup ton and Jasprit Bumrah’s four-wicket haul turned out to be the cornerstones of India’s crushing eight-wicket win over Afghanistan in a World Cup game played in Delhi. India went past Afghanistan’s total of 272 in just 35 overs.
The second innings turned out to be all about Rohit and his exhibition of fireworks. It started with a gentle clip through square leg off Fazalhaq Farooqi. That was just a sign of things to come. In the fifth over, he walked down the pitch and imperiously thumped the same bowler wide of long-off. Farooqi changed the angle and decided to bowl from round the wicket, but all he could do was concede a couple more boundaries.
He continued to bear the brunt of Rohit’s onslaught as he was thumped for 17 runs in the seventh over. He also reached his fifty in style, off just 29 deliveries, with a four off Naveen-ul-Haq. After reaching his fifty, Rohit perhaps played the shot of the day when he smashed Azmatullah Omarzai over midwicket. It was also one of the biggest sixes of the day.
Even Afghanistan’s spin trio of Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman were treated with disdain. Finally, in the 19th over, Afghanistan had something to cheer about as Ishan Kishan fell to Rashid Khan for 47. Such was Rohit’s belligerence at the crease that hardly anyone seemed to have noticed that Kishan himself scored at a run a ball. The innings, however, would have served as a confidence booster for Kishan ahead of the big clash against Pakistan.
By the time Kishan was dismissed, Rohit had already composed his hundred off just 63 deliveries – the fastest ton by an Indian in World Cups, which also took him past Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of six centuries in the competition. Virat Kohli and Rohit then strung together a stand of 49 before Rohit was dismissed by Rashid, his second wicket of the innings. During their stand, there was some interest surrounding the much-anticipated clash between Kohli and Naveen. The two even had a laugh after the completion of one of the overs. On his part, Naveen did bowl tight lines and also produced an outside edge off Kohli’s bat.
Kohli and Shreyas Iyer joined forces after Rohit’s dismissal and took the side home. The Indian think-tank also would be pleased with the form of the mainstay in their bowling department, Bumrah. He once again bowled with good rhythm to take 4-39.
Upfront, there was a hint of seam movement on offer. Bumrah adjusted his lengths as per the nature of the wicket – around short of a length/good length area – and was rewarded with the key scalp of Ibrahim Zadran. He also dismissed Rashid, Najibullah Zadran and Nabi. Hardik Pandya, Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav were the other wicket-takers.
Hashmatullah Shahidi, the Afghanistan skipper, top-scored with 80, while Omarzai scored 62. But on a pitch that was a batting paradise, their eventual total proved far too inadequate to trouble India.