Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant shared a lighthearted moment during the Afghanistan vs India 2024 T20 World Cup Super 8 match at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown in Barbados on Thursday, June 20.
Pant loudly called for a catch after Gulbadin Naib miscued a shot off Kuldeep Yadav in their Group 1 clash. Captain Rohit, who was nearby when Pant completed the catch, appeared to jokingly indicate that the catch was always Pant’s.
India controlled the game and won against Afghanistan by a margin of 47 runs. Choosing to bat after winning the coin toss, India put up a commanding score of 181-8, thanks to Suryakumar Yadav hitting 53 runs off 28 deliveries and Hardik Pandya adding 32 runs off 24 balls.
In reaction, Afghanistan scored a total of 134 runs, with Jasprit Bumrah capturing 3 wickets for 7 runs and Arshdeep Singh getting 3 wickets for 36 runs.
Kuldeep, drafted into the playing XI in place of Mohammed Siraj, claimed his first wicket by deceiving Naib (17 off 21) with a googly. Naib attempted to break free by attacking the wrong’un but mistimed his shot, resulting in a miscue.
Pant energetically called for the catch as he sprinted to take the skied ball. After securing the catch, Rohit seemed to gesture to Pant to relax. While the exact words from the Indian captain weren’t audible in the footage, his gesture suggested he was indicating to Pant that the catch was rightfully his.
In pursuit of 182 runs, Afghanistan began poorly as Bumrah removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz (11) and Hazratullah Zazai (2) in his initial two overs. Axar Patel also contributed by dismissing Ibrahim Zadran (8), significantly impacting Afghanistan during the powerplay.
Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant did not succeed with the bat
Despite India’s eventual easy victory over Afghanistan, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant had disappointing performances with the bat. Rohit (8 off 13) struggled to build momentum and mistimed a big shot off Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Meanwhile, Pant (20 off 11) was dismissed lbw by Rashid Khan while attempting a reverse sweep. India also saw the quick dismissals of Virat Kohli (24) and Shivam Dube (10). However, Suryakumar and Hardik Pandya (32 off 24) rescued the Indian team with a crucial fifth-wicket partnership of 60 runs.
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