In a convincing display, Team India continued their winning streak in the 2023 ICC World Cup by defeating Afghanistan by eight wickets in Delhi on Wednesday. Afghanistan batted first, scoring 272/8 in their allotted 50 overs, with Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai contributing half-centuries.
India’s Jasprit Bumrah excelled as a bowler, securing impressive figures of 4/39 from his 10 overs. In the reply, Rohit Sharma took the lead and dominated the Afghanistan bowlers with a scorching innings of 131 runs from only 84 deliveries.
Additionally, Ishan Kishan scored 47, and Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 55* as Team India secured victory with 90 balls remaining. A joyful atmosphere prevailed following India’s resounding triumph at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) posted a brief video in which Indian cricketers were observed exchanging congratulations amongst themselves and engaging in conversations with the opposition players.
“Many shared moments of laughter 🙌 Let’s take you behind the scenes after India’s comprehensive win against Afghanistan. #CWC23 | #INDvAFG,” ICC captioned the post.
Having secured two victories in two matches, Team India currently holds the second position in the standings with four points. New Zealand, who have also accumulated four points from two games, lead the table due to a superior net run rate.
Rohit Sharma’s team will face their arch-rivals, Pakistan, at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday. Pakistan has also won both of their matches and is expected to come prepared for a fierce encounter against India.
“It’s quite crucial that we don’t worry about the external factors” – Rohit Sharma gearing up for the Pakistan match
The highly anticipated India-Pakistan match on Saturday will draw significant attention. Emerging victorious in this intense encounter will provide a significant boost in confidence for both teams.
Regarding the team’s strategy against Pakistan, Rohit Sharma mentioned that they plan to maintain the same level of intensity they displayed against Afghanistan.
“Just as we looked into this game,” Rohit said at the end of the game on Wednesday. “It’s quite crucial that we don’t worry about the external factors. We need to come and show up on the ground pretty well. Every game for us, we’re going to treat it like that.”
“We want to focus on what we need to do on that particular day, what the pitch is like and what we need to do. It’s about focusing on what we need to as players,” he added.
Pakistan secured wins in their initial two World Cup matches against the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. They currently occupy the third spot in the standings, trailing behind India and New Zealand, with a total of four points.
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